DBZ - Rise Again
by Ficsion
Summary: An event, a few years after the Cell games, leads to world witnessing one of the Golden Fighters which leads to the questions and ultimately answers to a world based conspiracy - whether those were tricks or not - Witness as the Z warriors struggle and rise against their adversaries who are the population of earth and their beliefs, and many more adventures.
1. The Seed of Doubts

Hey everybody

· This is my first fanfic.The story will begin 7 years after Cell Saga i.e. little before when Gohan enters High School.

· There will be no Saiyaman, only Gold Fighter.

· The pairings are Gohan and Videl.

· I don't own Dragon Ball or any other series related to it.

 **Ø Now to begin with the story**

It was yesterday when the world had started doubting the claims of Hercule Satan - self-proclaimed savior of world from Cell. It had all began with the news that interrupted every programme telecasted world wide that ruler of world - King Furry's personal aircraft had reported a fault in its engine…

 **Flashback**

 _'_ _People of Earth, we are very sorry to interrupt your Tv programmes but we have received an important news that King Furry's life is in grave danger. We have been informed that his personal aircraft has encountered a fault in the engine leading to its immediate failure, and as a result the aircraft, which was destined towards Central city airport, is likely to crash at Satan City mall in the next thirty minutes. The air crew are doing their best to solve the problem, and at the same time, King Furry has asked the people to maintain calm and given an order to the Mayor of Satan city to evacuate Satan City mall and the surrounding area within five miles of it, effected immediately. We are trying to connect our Satellite with king's aircraft which will provide us a detailed view of the event transpiring there...'_

The result was instant, the entire world went into a state of chaos, the masses began praying to whatever deity there was, to protect their beloved King. The order, which came directly from the supreme authority himself, was implemented and the mall and nearby area was soon evacuated, a circular military barricade erected around the area preventing any movement inside. The students - evacuated from the school, news crew and other common folks soon gathered around the barricade, and despite the continuous orders and efforts of the police, refused to leave the area.

Among the masses, one figure - the daughter of Hercule Satan - Videl Satan was standing out, garnering a lot of attention due to her status as well as her position in the front line along with her friends - Erasa and Sharpener - due to her status as the crime fighter of Satan City.

The trio of friends were definitely worried but none was more than Erasa, "Videl, what is going to happen?"

Videl, also worried but managing to conceal the emotion, replied, "I don't know Erasa, but we should hope for the best."

Videl knew that her words were empty, lacking any form of strength and her strong will and spoken only to placate the worried girl, but she could not fault Erasa at that as she herself wasn't any better, only showing a brave upfront.

"...Yeah, let's hope." came the subdued reply of Erasa.

Clasping her hand in Erasa's, to comfort her, Videl couldn't help but think, now standing there for nearly ten minutes, how she along with others were normally sitting in their classes when the news spread like wildfire, and no later, everybody was evacuated, and now, they would witness the unfortunate event unfold before their eyes.

The fact was the source of her irritation that she - the daughter of the strongest person in the world and herself, being the second strongest person in the world - would be unable to do anything to protect the King.

Shaking her head to clear the despair, Videl glanced around her and saw a lot of people with one thing in common - _worry_ , and then her eyes landed on Sharpener, the dark haired girl blinking in surprise seeing a subdued and quiet Sharpener. Usually, he would make a smartass comment without analysing the situation, but this time, there was a strange reflection in his eyes that spoke as if he had already accepted his fate. This clearly intrigued Videl, so certainly she couldn't help but voice her curiosity, "You are remarkably quiet today, Sharpener, not gonna say that you can do anything with those muscles you care for, as your children?"

Not caring for the sarcasm that was oozing out of Videl's question, Sharpener sighed and replied, "I hate to admit it but this is something that I believe - NO _!_ \- I know even Mr. Satan can't handle. I can't even think of anything else, because it's Mr. Satan I am talking about! the cell defeater! the champ!.." The blonde clenched his fists in evident dismay, "... and to think that there are events like this, beyond his control… I mean, he is the strongest on Earth!" he nearly shouted in the end.

Reluctantly, Videl also agreed. Her father was definitely the strongest but even he couldn't like fly or something and stop the plane mid air.

Their conversation along with everybody else's was interrupted when the reporter of STV announced to be able to connect to the King's jet, and that soon, the world would be getting a satellite view of the event transpiring several hundred feet high in the sky.

After ten seconds, what seemed to be an eternity, a picture started appearing, slowly turning from black and white to colorful and started zooming towards what seemed to be the aircraft, by tearing through the clouds.

It was then, they saw it, the plane with smoke coming from its left engine fan causing disruption of the balance leading to the right wing of jet damaged due to air pressure, further resulting in a semi-torn state such that the plane was slowly beginning to roll in a clockwise direction while simultaneously falling towards the Satan city. Needless to say the fifteen second footage was sufficient to tell the fate of the King and his crew, only chance of survival - a miracle.

Meanwhile, a certain demi-saiyan was training outside when he heard his mom calling him, and from the tone of his mother, he realized at once that something big had happened. So, leaving the training in between, he immediately darted towards his house. Barely a moment later, he arrived at his abode only to hear a silly question from his mother, "Gohan, how strong are you?"

Gohan could only blink in confusion, "Huh?"

Already knowing that he was his father's son, Chichi pointed towards the Tv, and it was then he listened and put the facts together that a plane was bound to crash in mid-city.

Although he was able to put two and two together, and was definitely going to help but what surprised him that his mother was panicking over the situation, an unprecedented happening as his mother never was in favour of his heroic activities.

"So, you want to know whether I can handle a falling plane or not, right?" He received a nod as an answer, "Yeah, it won't be a big deal, but is there any special reason for this, since, you know, you never want me to get into this kind of situations?"

Chichi sighed, already expecting the question and replied, "True, I have always asked you to stay away from these situations, but it isn't like you listen to me, after all, you have Son Goku's blood running in your veins...", Gohan chuckled sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head, the all familiar expression bringing a feeling of longing on Chichi's face. However, as soon as it appeared, it was gone and she continued, "...But yes, this is special because the person who is boarding the plane is King Furry."

 _'Oh! that's the reason_ ' thought Gohan, knowing very well that even though his mom never met king Furry, she still respected him, the ruler of the world being one of the few persons who respected his dad, and who after his dad's victory over red ribbon army and King Piccolo, kept searching for his father for years so that he could honor the little boy and even when Mr. Satan termed KI users as tricksters, King Furry defended his dad, presenting himself as a first hand witness of the fight between King Piccolo and Son Goku. Though, the poor fellow never got to know his dad's name.

Since time was of the essence and knowing he had to save King Fury, Gohan immediately decided to act and was about to fly when his mom called, "Gohan, change to super saiyan. I don't want anybody recognising you and as soon as it is over, come back."

"Kay mom." Nodding, Gohan took off towards Satan city.

 **With King Furry**

"Any hope?" King Furry voiced to his crew, despite the imminent catastrophe about to happen, his demeanor was totally calm.

"Sorry sir, but the damage is severe, there isn't any possible way, we can make it out alive, not to mention the malfunctioning of the parachute dispenser."

Realising the gravity of the situation and that the words spoken by him today will be his last, King Furry addressed, "Don't worry, I don't blame you for it. The situation is out of your bounds, but let's not create a somber atmosphere here but face it head on." As expected by him, his words slightly raised the spirits of the others, "Now, I would like to thank you for your efforts in serving me and the state for years, and I can't be more happy that I get to spend my last moments with you people." King Furry concluded with a bow which surprised the new recruits while the older ones, who were already used to this side of their King, could only hope for a miracle for the survival of their humble and kind king.

"I also want to give a last message to people. I hope the STV was able to connect to the Satellite", – a nod was his answer – "Well, let's do it before the link gets disrupted." Voicing, King Furry sat in front of the monitor while his crew established the connection with STV, all intentions to make a last contact with the masses possible.

 **With People around the Satan City**

Everybody started paying attention to the STV's special transmitter when it was announced that King Furry would be giving his last message to the people of the world.

The link with the satellite was switched to the internal receiver and immediately a countdown appeared on their Tvs. _'Connecting … 3… 2…1'_ The countdown was followed by King furry's blurry image appearing on the screen, which soon morphed into a high resolution footage. The people, seeing their leader in what everybody believed to be his last moments, began tearing up, though not at all wanting to miss even a single glimpse of their most loyal and humble leader, so far.

 _"Greetings everyone, I hope you are well. Now, as you all know, due to the unfortunate event that has transpired here, this is going to be the last time, I address you all, so please pay attention. I know, the world is in a state of panic, and this couldn't be helped but I urge you to maintain the calm. The situation is beyond anyone's control but I've never been afraid of death, you can't deny the inevitable in the end."_

A slight smile made its way on King Furry's face, " _However, I know, this panic, this worry, all this is the direct outcome of the love and support, you feel and show for me, and l want to tell you that the feelings have always been mutual, but instead of channeling these feelings into worry and distress, I would like you to use them to achieve my dreams. In fact, call it a favor - a last request from me to all of you - that is, care for others and create a world where everybody is treated as equal. Although, I made many efforts yet I failed so I would like to pass this responsibility to you and the next King. Secondly, please make sure that no matter how much power you achieve, don't ever let it influence your decisions."_

King Furry took a sip of water from the glass held by one of his attendants, _"Now, as the saying goes 'Every beginning has its end' - I guess, this is mine, so without taking any further time I w..."_ \- the masses gathered around the barricade, saw that their King getting interrupted by the pilot who was trembling and pointing towards some object. Upon seeing this strange reaction, King furry and others beside him, decided to see what was the cause of such reaction.

It was then the populace witnessed their King and his crew visibly recoiling, apparently in surprise. Confusion and slight anticipation immediately became palpable, the populace wanting to know what could be the cause? As if on cue, the satellite camera which was broadcasting the King's last words to the entire world shifted its focus out of the plane, the footage on the screens receiving the broadcast, bifurcated - one part showing the inside view of the plane and the other, showing the outer view of the east from where a sort of golden fire was flying towards the plane.

 _'It's a meteorite_ ' - the cry made Videl Satan blink in surprise at the mental state of the person who shouted, finding it hard to believe that the people couldn't even comprehend that the object was ascending, not descending, despite witnessing it with their own eyes. ' _Some missile fired towards the king'_ and other such negative remarks also started flying around, making the dark haired girl shook her head.

All of them watched in clear anticipation, the strange scene making it difficult to even blink. It was then, they got the shock of their life when they were able to make a clear frame of a person - a male _flying_ towards the jet, and the shock only became intensified when the said boy abruptly halted in mid air and put his hands in front, as if trying to halt the clockwise motion of the plane.

But, none was more shocked than Videl Satan, the life which she had lived in the past seven years, making it hard for her to comprehend the mind boggling scenario. _'T-this isn't possible! It's a trick!'_

Videl's shock though, soon faded among the loud shouts and exclamations by the people around her, clearly surprised at the unbelievable action of the strange boy ' _What's he trying to do?', 'Is he crazy?', 'I don't know how he is flying but don't tell me, he is actually trying to stop the plane with his bare hands!'_

Same questions were there with King Furry's crew but King Furry suddenly started feeling hopeful as if somebody was saying to him that he will be saved, the little spark of hope igniting into a full-fledged fire of belief when the boy successfully stopped the jet in mid-motion without even a minute budging of his arms.

There was a collective gasp around the barricade as well as in the plane when the superhumanly feat transpired. Though, barely a moment later, the plane started falling along its length, but, immediately, there were two explosions on the sides of the plane, before the people registered the eradication of both the wings and the extraordinary boy blurring into view in front of the plane, successfully supporting the beak of plane on his chest, his hands implanted respectively on both sides and doing so with little to no effort at all, which otherwise would have ripped apart any normal person. The out of the world sight made most people lean forward in slight anxiety as well as awe.

A loud cheer from the assistant pilot, clearly heard from the footage, which tore through the somber and worrisome atmosphere, gave a feeling of hope to the entire world, _"Hey! look here, the rate at which the altitude was decreasing is slowing down!"_ , The screen showing the inside view of the plane was focused on the altitude displaying meter and broadcasted to the entire world, the reduction in speed at which the altitude was decreasing, the happening becoming a symbol of hope.

In the second footage, the superhumanly boy continued carrying his efforts, the masses cheering for him all the while. For the next ten minutes people watched with bated breath as the altitude decreased from ten thousand metres to two thousand metres at which Gohan became visible to the naked eye, people turning their attention from the screens towards the building of Orange Star High above which the teenager was slowly bringing down the airplane.

It was then, everybody, along with Gohan, realized that if the plane couldn't be stopped in the next seventy five seconds, it would crash directly on the school building.

This continued for the next sixty seconds, hope and relief rapidly dwindling as everybody concluded that the decrease in time was not accompanied by a considerable decrease in speed of falling airplane.

A Single thought flashed through their minds _'the kid, whoever he is, came as angel and did good but it wasn't enough'_

However, it became apparent that they were a bit too soon in accepting the fate when their eyes witnessed the most mesmerizing phenomenon ever, the airborne boy, barely ten meters above the school roof, once again ignited that golden fire around his body, and in a flash, the golden fire covered the entire plane, washing the white color of the plane in golden fire, but instead of receiving any damage, the plane was successfully stopped five feet above the school rooftop.

 **GOHAN**

Gohan couldn't help but sigh in relief. Initially, he had decided to use more force which, though, would have ripped the plane apart, but he was sure that he would have been fast enough to quickly save the King and his men. However, at last ditch second, a crazy idea popped into his mind, and he decided to use his aura as a bubble around the plane which, to his great relief, worked.

By now, the media had arrived in their helicopters and Gohan, after briefly confirming them that he would be taking the aircraft towards the airport, flew away calmly, the jet supported on his hands, above his head.

After nearly ten minutes of flight with helicopters trailing him, he reached his destination and gently placed the semi-destroyed aircraft on the ground before ripping apart the door and entering the jet, only to blink in confusion when he saw the passengers onboard staring at him in disbelief, awe and surprise.

"... Are you alright?" Gohan voiced, feeling slightly awkward at becoming the object of attention of so many people.

Quickly composing himself, King Furry walked to the dark-haired teenager and addressed him, "Yes, yes, we are, but only due to your heroic efforts, young man."

"It's nothing sir, I was merely doing my duty", Gohan replied feeling a little embarrassed, not at all used to such praise while rubbing his head.

King Furry shook his head, a slight smile adorning his face, before voicing, "Well it clearly shows that not only are you powerful but humble also, however, please don't stop me from honoring your efforts as without you, neither me nor my crew would have survived.''

"Please sir, I don't want any fame or credit. It was within my capacity to protect you, and I only did...", Gohan trailed after seeing the look King Furry was giving him, so intense that it was making him nervous. Hesitantly, Gohan voiced, "Umm, is there any problem sir?"

King Furry, on the other hand, was seemingly in a trance before Gohan's words broke him out of it, "... I don't mean to pry young man but tell me, it was you at the Cell Games, wasn't it?"

The reaction was instant, Gohan started sweating profusely, the idea to be a super saiyan to protect his identity clearly seen through as he was easily recognized from Cell Games. He wasn't sure how to respond to this and was about to began working his mind overdrive when suddenly, to his brief relief, the answer was asked as a proposal by King Furry himself, "Looking from your face, It seems that you are not comfortable with the question, but there are certain reasons why I want to know this and trust me, it is for the best of the people of earth…", King Furry put a hand on Gohan's right biceps, not able to reach to his shoulder, "... I know, you ought to have your reasons, and I respect that, but please, we need to have this discussion. However, I realize that this is not the suitable place nor the time, so I would like you to visit me at my palace in Central City."

Gohan wasn't sure about this, but he surely didn't want to miss the only chance to get out of there lest he be surrounded by the media. Immediately, he accepted the proposal put up by the king before jumping off the plane and flying away leaving a golden streak.

No later, the airplane was surrounded by a large group of police, military, news crew and Videl Satan. King Furry immediately asked everyone to gather so he could narrate the incidents before leaving, "As everybody has already seen it, a big disaster was prevented by the heroic efforts of that young man, and I know all of you want to know who he was but believe me, even as the King of the world, it was the first time I saw him…" _'although I have my suspicions but before they are proved, I won't jump to any conclusions'_ King Furry mused before continuing, "Now regarding his abilities, I am in the same bunch as you, I have no idea how did he manage to perform that feat. Nevertheless, I, along with my crew, shall forever be in debt of that heroic young man. Another thing that is pertinent to be mentioned here is that he was the most humble boy I have ever met. Despite having such extraordinary powers he wasn't arrogant or rude, him politely refusing the reward I wanted to give him only substantiate the fact. His words were that if he is capable to protect somebody's life he will do it without expecting anything in return. Some people who regularly boast about their so called achievements…" King Furry, taking a jibe at Mr. Satan, concluded, "... should learn from him." With this, King Furry took his leave.

Immediately, media started broadcasting the news and videos that were recorded of the heroic actions of that _amazing young man_ \- as they put it - and by evening, a fanclub was already formed with the name **'The Gold Fighter Fanclub** ' – giving the world a new topic of discussion which would stay afresh for a long time.

 **FLASHBACK END**

The incident had left a question which had begun to lead to a series of strings consequently connecting to the world's greatest conspiracy – IF according to Mr. Satan, flying and that golden aura had been lights and tricks done by ropes and mirrors, then how had that boy performed them? It was clear that there hadn't been any ropes and lights - seriously, who the hell could tie ropes in the middle of the sky, the only way being, tying the ropes to the moon which was was definitely impossible.

And with this, had begun the implantation of seed of doubt in the hearts of the masses.

Pls support and give reviews-no matter bad or good- it will only help me grow


	2. Confrontations

First of all, I apologise for a long delay. It's been a year and half since I published the first chapter but at that time, I was in the last year of my graduation leading to exams and then hard efforts for a job, with bouts of depression in between. I didn't even check on the story till recently and I was surprised to read 2 positive reviews. I thank both of them, especially, Lightningblade49, It was due to his review, I got the motivation and idea what to write.

Now please read this and tell me your honest reviews and you can also check the first chapter. I edited it.

Disclaimer:- I don't own Dbz or anything related.

It was evening time. The Sun had already settled humbly in its abode after serving the Earth, on command of mother nature and by another command, night had embraced half of the planet an hour ago.

A part of the night embraced half was Mt. Paozo. The scenery here was breathtaking. In fact, this area, it seemed, was the lap of mother nature. Its calm and serene surroundings were always soothing. Not that the other areas of the singular continent were away from the soft and caring hands of nature, well Satan City might be, in fact they were very much blessed.

In this area, was a Capsule Corporation made house, an older model though, but equally comfortable as the latest ones. This home was the sign of the only human inhabitants in the surrounding area of 10 miles - the home of Son Goku. Above it were the remnants of the smoke, signifying that the house matriarch had recently prepared the food and sitting at the dining table were the members of Son family sans Son Goku.

Usually, if someone walks in to this scene, they would witness food flying here and there but immediately disappearing into thin air indicating not a single drop was wasted. But today wasn't the usual - Well if you are kind enough to exclude Goten from this. There was a palpable aura of trepidation in the kitchen. The elder Son was sitting at his usual seat but instead of eating, he was twirling the soup with his chopsticks. Chichi was witnessing the scene for the last 5 minutes which was more than enough time for the demi saiyan to ingest his food. It was worrying her greatly so she asked him,"What's the problem, Gohan?"

Gohan was silent for few moments thinking how to voice his thoughts and when it seemed to Chichi that he might not answer causing her irritation to build up, he spoke in a tired voice, "you already know it, mom."

Of course, Chichi knew it, how couldn't she? She was the one to suggest the whole ordeal and then also witnessed it on tv but she wanted to hear it from him. The reason is the common saying that the best way to sate your inner turmoil is when the person speaks of it. But it seems that she will have to spearhead the conversation this time also, it was the same in the past and it was the same with his father also. Sometimes she couldn't help but think that why didn't her sons inherit even a single trait of their mother. Though, She also knew that it was a childish thought on her part and she wouldn't trade her sons and their traits for anything.

"I know it Gohan but I want to know what's going in your head."

"Huh, something's going inside big brother's head? can i see it? huh huh, oooh can this thing also go inside my head. oh yeah that would be really cool and then I would show it to….."but poor Goten's enthusiastic and loud musings were interrupted by his mother, "finish your dinner, Goten and go to your room". The poor boy wanted to say something but a glare from his mother quickly shut him up and in a minute, after finishing his dinner, he left the kitchen to his room, pouting cutely.

"Seriously, that boy is even worse than you. He takes after Goku in everything. I couldn't help but worry about his future".

Gohan chuckled hearing this while following his brother's figure, but nonetheless agreed. Turning to his mom, he found her looking at him intently. He sighed, "I can't decide mom, I can't. There is a war going on inside my head. My brain says to avoid the whole thing and like everything it will soon become a fading memory, after all we have Mr. Satan to help us in this case, he will surely come with something to divert the attention of masses to him. On the other hand, my heart says to go and confront this head on because when King Fury asked me to meet him, it was like he has some kind reasons to do this and not out of spite. His past actions already prove this. Moreover, the words 'for the betterment of Earth and its people' are very inviting".

Chichi looked at the table for some moments mulling over the concerns raised by her son. She knew, very well, the complications that could arise if the issue isn't dealt properly. After Cell games, initially, she was quite displeased with Mr. Satan for taking her son's credit. Gradually though, seeing Mr. Satan being swarmed by his fans every single moment such that there wasn't even a sliver of difference between his personal and professional life, she started to cool down. There were moments when she even felt some pity for him and his family as she was sure that it would be the same for his family also. She could sympathise with them, being a sort of celebrity herself, back when she entered the WMAT. However, that pity soon turned to rage when the bastard started denouncing her family and friends. She couldn't bear the ungrateful man calling them tricksters and soon the people followed him. After everything that they had done for this planet and its people, they were simply labeled as frauds.

"I can't tell you Gohan what to do because the last decision rests in your hands. However I can tell you what your father would have said and that is to confront your problems and never run from them and what's interesting is that he would have said this with that carefree smile."

"But you can, at least, give me some opinion".

"Although, I am not in the favour of these things but the whole mess is my responsibility also, considering it was I, who sent you, not that it was a wrong decision. So I will say you should go as this is King Fury, you are going to meet and I am pretty sure that he wouldn't impose himself on you".

Initially he was surprised by his mom's words but he quickly chalked it to some changes that she went into, after his dad's death. After all witnessing the way Goten was brought up, he knew she had mellowed down, greatly. Feeling confident by his mom's support and her solid view on what his father would have said which he, himself believed, no, knew to be true, he decided to get over it.

"Very well mom, I would see the King by next week. Thanks for your support".

"No problem Gohan, just be careful. Oh and if you want you can talk to Bulma. She would surely guide you in right direction."

"Will do, mom". After all, who better than Bulma to deal with situation like this. He knew it well that Bulma, with her mind, could walk out of any tricky situation.

At a distance of several thousand miles, nearing to the other side of the continent, was Satan City. One of the fastest developing cities in the world, next only to West city - which was due to the world's largest and most innovative corporation, situated there.

If one were to look a few years into the past of this city, when it was called orange city - immediately before the Cell Games happened, countless differences would be blatantly visible.

The first, and also the most obvious, was the increase in population. In the Orange city, the population was a quarter of the current figures due to the West city being the technological hub, thus the employment and education hub also. The Satan City, though, quickly became the fitness hub due to the fact that it was the home to the world champ who became the world saviour - slayer of the most terrible villain - the mankind had ever faced, which he credited to his martial arts training, its popularity rose off charts and so did its population. Several new settlements emerged in record time and old were reconstructed. ZTv, one of the smaller news companies, and also the one to telecast the news of Mr. Satan's victory over cell, quickly shifted its office to Satan City from east city, going even as far to change its name from ZTv to STv - Satan Tv, thus securing its place in the top five news companies in the world.

In the western part of Satan City, was the residential area reserved for the most prominent people. Politicians, Tv Celebrities, Sports persons - just name it, you will find them all, here. Luxury houses - well furnished with modern facilities were a common sight. But even among these buildings, a mansion stuck out like a beacon for the prominent settlements there. This building was the largest mansion in the Satan City. When Mr. Satan defeated Cell, he simply asked for this mansion and the authorities, too drunk up with the ass kissing of the saviour, were quick to obey his demand as a token of gratitude for his invaluable service to the mankind. Thus, for the last seven years, this mansion has been the residential place of Mr. Satan and his only daughter and its status would remain the same forever, if Mr. Satan has anything to say about it.

Speaking of the daughter, Videl Satan, we find her, in her room, playing and repeating the video of Gold Fighter, saving the airplane, again and again.

You couldn't blame her though, as nearly a quarter of the population was going through this. After all, the entire Gold Fighter event was simply out of this world. It was even more shocking for Videl Satan, whose very life was based on it. All this fame, luxury and status was due to her father's victory over Cell followed by his blatant discredit and vandalism of the image of the previous martial artists, especially the fighters at Cell Games. As a matter of fact and unknown to most, the latter was the bigger source of their wealth, contrary to the popular belief of former, which only paved the way to the latter by giving her father the necessary status and say in the matters.

Her father had been disregarding the previous martial artists, ever since he became the twenty fourth WMAT champion. However, at that time, his status wasn't as important as now, due to him winning the tournament in the absence of the legends like Son Goku. So, when he achieved victory over cell, he became a prominent figure, enjoying the special status - a privilege granted to the likes of King Furry, Bulma Briefs and a few others only. Hence, he began a sort of cleansing of the then WMAT, which in his opinion was a mockery of what real martial arts tournament should be. After all, in reality, people can't shoot beams from their hands much less fly. The WMAT, thus, was quickly divided into two units - one for the adults and the other for kids. The preliminaries were replaced by a power gauging machine and with his special status, this was as easy as blowing a raspberry, which he did, in the face of his adversaries. This was only substantiated by the non-participation of any of the previous martial artists, more specifically the KI users and in no time, the world labelled, the KI users as tricksters and frauds.

So, one couldn't blame her for pondering and repondering over the events regarding Gold Fighter. There wasn't a shred of doubt, now, regarding the authenticity of what they termed as tricks. They were all real because no one could fly and stop a fucking airplane in mid air but the Gold Fighter did, blatantly too. She was also sure that it wasn't a conspiracy against her father because the victim was King Furry who, despite not treating her father as Kami, also didn't hold a grudge against him. So, it simply pointed that all those tricks are real and if they are, well she didn't even want to think about the consequences and the only person, who could give answers to her, was her father who was on an international tour. So, she was waiting for him to return and when he does, she would be damned if she doesn't get the answers.

Gohan was flying over the west city. His destination - the Capsule Corporation, where he was going to meet Bulma, as advised by his mother. She was a family friend, so he could easily approach her on any matter. But a more important fact was, that she was the only one out of his friend circle, who could guide him on the path that he had already chosen. Being a multi billionaire and rapidly closing towards the first trillionaire mark, she, like the back of her hand, knew how to deal with such situations. You don't achieve status as high as Bulma without jumping over many hurdles on your path. In fact, she has been going over these situations for years, making her an expert. From dealing with so called social service workers, who were merely agents of the rival companies, demanding that she should make the secrets, behind her corporation public, government agencies, either requesting her to sell the same secrets to the government for welfare of the masses or pestering her for the manufacture of weapons - something, which she had vehemently refused till today and will do so in future also or the media crew, being nosy as usual, claiming her to be in possession of alien technology and that she should surrender it. But the most vocal of all, Mr. Satan himself. They doesn't know how he got the knowledge of gravity room, as Bulma sure hasn't revealed it, but the man is always demanding from her, quite rudely and smugly, that she should hand over it to him. The only thing stopping Vegeta, from blasting the man to next dimension, is the hilarious arguments and even more hilarious conclusions, in which he have been sent, red faced and sweating, back by Bulma.

However his musings were interrupted by a brief but familiar power spike behind him. He looked behind, only to find that he passed his destination by a few metres. He quickly turned and landed, directly, on the balcony of the third floor - the floor used by the Briefs for themselves.

Entering the hall, he walked towards her personal lab on this floor, yes she had a lab there also, despite having the entire organisation at her use. She thought that there were some things that were needed to be kept out of prying eyes and the safest place was this, considering the fact that Vegeta's gravity room was nearby.

He was about to turn a corner when he narrowly avoided a small body. Without even looking back, he knew, who the little ball of energy was.

"Hey Trunks, how are you"?

"Oh, hey Gohan, what are you doing here? Oh, are you here to play with me"?

"No Trunks, I am here to meet Bulma", Gohan replied with a chuckle.

"Oh…, thennnn, Goten is with you, right?", he asked hopefully.

"Sorry Trunks, I came by myself and I am in a real hurry to meet Bulma, otherwise I would have played with you".

"Is it some grown ups thing"?

"Yeah, you could say that", replied Gohan, nearly laughing. He was always awed by the innocence of his brother as well as Trunks and he would do everything, in his capacity, to make sure they enjoy their childhood as long as he was alive.

"That's boriiiiiing, Gohan. I won't come with you. You are on your own. See ya", and with this he walked away towards the kitchen area.

Gohan resumed his trek towards Bulma's lab, chuckling at Trunk's words. Along the way, he stopped in front of the room, where Vegeta's KI was concentrated. Without waiting, he entered the room. The room was the gravity room. Outside, it was visible as a simple wooden door, similar to the others in the hall, done purposely to blend the door with others to avoid any suspicion regarding the GR. Inside, at a distance of few steps, was a single metal door - the entrance to the GR. Currently, it was opened and Vegeta was standing there, wiping the sweat on his body.

"Hey Vegeta".

"Gohan", greeted Vegeta, with a nod.

Over the years, their relationship, if you could call it as, had improved. Vegeta stopped looking down at him after Bojack fight. It was contradictory to the belief in their friend circle that they became sort of comrades after Cell games. No, the events at cell games, leading to Goku's death, nearly crushed Vegeta's fighting spirit. He wouldn't even train for himself much less spar with others. It was only after Bojack fiasco, that he was able to gain that willpower back. Slowly he developed a goal to surpass Gohan. But it was a sort of friendly rivalry which was apparently visible from the facts such as Vegeta, after Bojack fight, gave him the rank of an elite saiyan. Initially, it didn't interested him much but after learning about his saiyan heritage, he wouldn't trade it for anything. Now, often, Vegeta and Gohan would spar with each other, increasing their prowess. Though, even now, he wouldn't stop making nasty remarks, but that was Vegeta to you and without these traits, he wouldn't be himself.

"Here for a spar, brat".

"I am here to see Bulma, Vegeta".

"To learn how to clean the mess you caused by saving that talking Cat".

Ignoring the sarcasm, Gohan asked, surprised, "you know about that"?

Vegeta scoffed,"the brat and his mother wouldn't stop talking, for hours. I had to threaten them with a blast to stop this".

"...and they agreed"?

"Trunks did".

"What about Bulma"?

"She did when I declared to walk, stark naked, in front of her female employees".

Gohan laughed aloud at that. Even Vegeta had a smirk on his face. It was, initially, a prank pulled by Bulma on Vegeta, when she walked in a bikini, in front of some employees, making already sure, Vegeta was watching. The result was obvious, a few passed with nose bleeds but others were surprisingly, okay. Though they would have looked but with Vegeta there, it was a dead stop. Her prank wasn't successful, as Vegeta was only amused. Considering from the fact that he was a saiyan through and through, he wasn't ashamed by it. In fact, on planet vegeta, such sights were common.

However, her plan backfired when Vegeta decided to return the favour. One day, a group of 30 or so women were visiting Capsule Corporation. Most of these were successful celebrities or entrepreneurs who have become friends of Bulma over years. So, when Vegeta walked in, on them, stark naked after a shower, needless to say, the results were devastating.

Even today, Bulma continued to receive several requests asking for a one night experience with Vegeta.

Clearly, Bulma never tried that again.

"In your opinion, how should I deal with this, Vegeta"?, asked Gohan, after controlling his mirth. He decided to ask Vegeta, because over the years, Vegeta had taken the role of a father figure. Though he had Piccolo too, but due to the fact that Vegeta was the only one remotely close to him in power, back then and due to various sessions that he had with Vegeta about saiyan heritage, they grew close. He was sure Vegeta would give him a decent advice but what he said next, quickly vanished the thought.

"Blast them all, to next dimension".

A decent advice, indeed.

"Geez, you would never change, would you Vegeta", but Vegeta had already started walking towards the GR for his nth round.

Shaking his head, Gohan walked out of the GR towards Bulma's location. Entering the last room across the hall, he came upon a messy looking Bulma engaged in some machine.

"Hey Bulma".

"Oh hey Gohan…. or should I say, Gold Fighter".

"Gold Fighter, what is that"?, asked Gohan, clearly confused about it.

Bulma looked at him incredulously, obviously thinking if he was serious or not. The Gold Fighter event had become as constant as oxygen in the air and he didn't even know about it.

"You know, I can't even use the phrase 'do you live in mountains', because you will reply ' Of course I do'. Seriously Gohan, you prevented an accident in your super saiyan form and you don't know about it".

Realisation dawned upon him, so the people have started referring him Gold Fighter. Well it wasn't bad, infact really good than something that he could have come with, like Saiyaman.

"Well, I was busy with things, so I didn't pay any attention to what was happening in the world", replied Gohan, in his defense. But the tone of his voice indicated that he lacked any firmness behind his words.

"Let me guess, those things were eating, studying and sparring". Her only and obvious indication that she had hit the nail on the head, was a familiar Son gesture - rubbing the back of the head. She only sighed while shaking her head.

"Moving on, I presume that you are here regarding that issue only".

Gohan nodded, "Right Bulma, mom suggested taking your advice considering you deal with situations like this on a daily basis. Since, I have already decided to go ahead with the meeting, I wanted to know what to expect or say".

"Yeah, Your mom told me about this meeting. I am not surprised about this. It was supposed to happen at some time. We couldn't hide our secrets forever. Now, I can't tell you what to expect because it's King Furry you are going to meet and trust me, when I say he is very cunning, I am not exaggerating".

It was a fact known to very few that King Furry, along with humble, honest and kind was very cunning. After all, King Furry wasn't the King of the world for nothing. If he wouldn't have necessary wits, he would have long lost his title. As a matter of fact, Mr. Satan made an attempt to take the power from him, two years after the Cell Games. Too drunk in the power and status received by him, he tried to get a say in the internal affairs of government. But in a matter of minutes, he was quickly reminded by King Furry why he was the King. Of course, there were only rumours about this that how, one of King Furry's men fought Mr. Satan with a condition to grant him an exclusive say, only if he won. The conclusion was, well Mr. Satan will never try such an attempt, again. Bulma, also, had her fair share of meetings with him and they were simply mind exhausting.

"Huh, I didn't know about this, but I will keep it in mind".

"You better. Now I am going to instruct you what to tell and what not to. Along with how to deal with tricky situations".

An hour later, Gohan landed in the front yard of The Royal Palace - The biggest building in the entire world. It was the ancestral palace of King Furry. Generations have lived here and ruled over the world, guiding the people through thick and thin.

The palace was a square building with a large open area trapped inside the square. It was a traditional design, constructed by the fourteenth ruler of the world - nearly 500 years ago. Of course, over the years, upgradations, both technical and physical have been made to it. King Furry lived on one of the middle floors - exact number, known to very few, obviously for security purposes. Though he is well loved all around the world but some deranged people are always present.

There were security officials all over the place and it seemed they had standing orders regarding him. As soon as he arrived, though surprised for a moment, they quickly ushered him to the meeting room.

Entering the room, a simple yet elegant one, he was greeted to the sight of King Furry working at some papers. Quickly composing himself, he announced his presence by bowing before the King while greeting him, "Greetings, Your Majesty".

King Furry looked up from his work and after showing a bit of surprise at his unexpected arrival, he quickly yet eloquently replied,"Ah, most welcome, Young man. Please have a seat". He, also directed one of the servants to bring some snacks and drinks.

Gohan immediately complied and took a seat facing the king. The King, after asking for a minute, quickly arranged his documents and set them aside. It was then, he looked at Gohan and addressed him,"How are you young man"?

"I am fine sir and wish the same for you". King Furry politely nodded at him, a sign of acceptance of his well wishes by him.

It was then the conversation started - the real one and Obviously, King was the one to initiate it.

"To speak the truth, I wasn't expecting you, at all. I had thought you wouldn't come".

"Permission to spea…, began Gohan only to be interrupted by King Furry, "No need for formalities, young man. You are free to voice your thoughts as you like"

Continuing his previous question, but without being overly formal, Gohan asked, "why did you think so, Your Majesty? You are the king and as your subject, I am obliged to answer your call".

"You are not obligated to anything, young man. You have already done enough by saving me and my crew".

"Please Your Majesty, It was my duty and I merely fulfilled it", replied Gohan, a bit embarrassingly, not used to such praise especially coming from the King of the world.

"Your humility, despite your incredible strength, continue to amaze and please me", Gohan only rubbed the back of his head with the Son grin on his face. A gesture, not at all missed by the King.

It was at that moment when King Furry suddenly became serious and spoke,"You know very well, young man, the purpose of this meeting" - Gohan nodded, "then I would like to ask some questions and I am placing a lot of trust in you to be honest about them".

Gohan, mentally sighed but nodded, nonetheless.

"Very well, then please tell me, it was you at the Cell Games, wasn't you?

There was no need to think about this as Bulma as already told him to be honest with the entire Cell Games matter.

"You are right, Your Majesty. It was me".

King Furry nodded at him in appreciating manner and then continued,"Don't consider me rude, only curious, but please tell me why you, a child of ten or so years was there at a dangerous battle like that"?

After organising his thoughts, Gohan replied,"My dad believed in me. He told me, while I was training, that I have the power and potential to surpass him. He must have seen it during our training and thus, was confident in me to win the battle".

"The man, who fought before you, was your father, right?"

Gohan, not seeing any problem in not denying him, replied,"yes he was, Your Majesty. Cell wanted to fight him the most, but he wasn't as strong as Cell. It was only after trying his luck, he called for me".

"A noble man, willing to choose the fate of the planet over his son, a trait among the rarest of the rare. I would surely like to meet him some day".

At this Gohan's mood turned pensive and he replied sadly,"sorry, your majesty but he sacrificed himself at the Cell Games".

Hearing this, King Furry was shocked as indicated by the widening of his eyes but he quickly composed himself and asked,"How is this possible? Everyone who died during those unfortunate events, was resurrected".

"Indeed they were, but my father wasn't resurrected as a punishment to him".

Hearing the word 'punishment' confused the King greatly. But, mostly, he was angry as voiced by him,

"A punishment, but what kind of, no a better question would be, for what reason was he punished? He sacrificed himself, even willing to subject his son to the same fate and he was punished"!, exclaimed King Furry with anger and disbelief evident in his voice.

"Cell was about to destruct himself along with Earth and to prevent that he teleported Cell and himself to a Kai's planet resulting in its destruction. So as a punishment for this, he was ordered to stay dead for some years, exact number unknown to us".

King Furry, however, became confused and it was voiced in his question, "Kais, ordered to stay dead, pardon me young man, but I don't understand this".

As, gohan had already talked with Bulma about what to disclose and how, and this was one of those secrets.

"For understanding this, Your Majesty, you would have to learn about some special beings who manage the affairs of the cosmos".

With this Gohan began to explain as how a planet with life was supposed to have a guardian and how this guardian can't interfere directly in the matters of the planet but can employ a proxy and how his dad was the one. How their guardian referred his dad to the North Kai - here he explained the Kais over the quadrants of the universe. His dad becoming a student of the North Kai and how his dad teleported Cell to North Kai's planet resulting in its destruction. Therefore his dad receiving a punishment for some years.

King Furry, after listening to this, was fully surprised which was clearly evident on his visage. Anyone would be. But he wasn't in denial of Gohan's claims which became apparent by his next words.

"Although it's a lot to take in, but I completely believe you".

"Thank you, Your Majesty".

"So correct me, If I am wrong in saying that these powers are a blessing of the Kais".

"Not at all, King Furry. Anybody with a decent training in martial arts can access these powers. These powers are, basically, a careful and quick manipulation of KI - the life force of a person. Though, only few are able to access it as accessing your KI is difficult and then learning to manipulate is even more. Therefore those who have been training from a young age are more likely to access this power. However, mine and my father's powers along with that of two other persons at Cell Games, are special as blessed by Kais".

King furry pondered over this, remembering goku and demon king, with three eyed man using, what he learnt now, KI, but did not voice it to Gohan. Instead, he decided to ask about another equally important event, no a miracle that followed Cell Games - the resurrection of the dead.

"What about the resurrection of the people killed by Cell? Was that also the work of the Kais"?

Gohan, hearing this, stayed calm which was not missed by King Furry. He couldn't afford, even a slight faltering on his part, here at this moment. Bulma, had clearly told him that this was one of the questions that would surely be asked, sooner or later. However, they had decided that they wouldn't give away the dragon balls. Because, no matter what, they couldn't trust anyone with this secret. Bulma had taken her own example and explained that how, when she was on the voyage to find the dragon balls for the first time, she wanted to wish for a boyfriend. So, if she, the daughter of a billionaire - possessing everything at her disposal, was looking for the dragon balls to make such silly wish, what was their to stop the others. They had, instead, decided to provide a concocted story.

"Indeed, Your Majesty. The Kais have a rule to prevent unjust killing of people which states that if a person dies due to unnatural reasons, they would be revived.. Usually, fights such as with Cell are termed as unnatural".

"I see", began King Furry after mulling over his words for few moments, "I am really surprised that you decided to reveal such crucial information with me, rest assured though, these secrets are completely safe with me. In fact I am really grateful to you for putting your trust in me".

Gohan, himself was surprised when he decided to walk on this path. If somebody would have told him a few days ago, that he would be talking about his secrets, so easily with none other than the King of the world, he would have thought the person was insane.

"There is no need for thanking me Your Majesty. In actual, it benefits me, greatly, by sharing this information with someone out of my friend circle. Moreover, your assurance regarding the secrecy of the information only puts me at more ease. It's a new but great experience for me that if I decide to share this information with any other person, I am sure this conversation will surely help me".

"Thank you again, for showing your trust in me. Now, you talked about your friends which, I believe, were the group of people at Cell Games or at least a part of them", - receiving a nod, King Furry continues," My question is that which one of your friends defeated Cell"?

"It was a joint effort, Your Majesty, Though, I was the one to land the finishing blow but it wasn't possible without others, weakening him at that time. But I am curious about your complete disregard of Mr. Satan's claims".

"To answer your question first, It was apparent that Mr. Satan was no match for Cell. Where as you people arrived by flying, he arrived by a car. Cell didn't even show any interest in him but, actually fought your group and I am not gullible to believe that a person can trip over his feet for nearly 100 metres".

Gohan was impressed, not due to the fact that King Furry made these points but how simply he did it. In their world, literacy rate was over eight five percent and there were several people that came close to Bulma in IQ along with some world class detectives, yet nobody was able to draw out these points. His musings were halted when King Furry spoke again.

"And regarding your statement of defeating Cell, I would like to know, why didn't you take your rightful credit to defeat the Cell? You surely deserved it".

Gohan, without waiting, replied, "we all wanted to live our lives as normally as we could so we didn't have any problem with Mr. Satan taking the credit. In fact we didn't even know it, too lost in the grief of my father and by the time we managed to deal with that, Mr. Satan had already labelled us as frauds and the world followed him, being no one to dispute his claims. Surely, it bothered us a little in the beginning but soon, we got over it. Moreover, we didn't want any fame or money, as I already told you and will say it again that as long as I am capable, I would work for the welfare of Earth and its people"

"You, truly, are a noble man, Gohan".

Gohan, merely rubbed his head while looking down and began to reply, "Thank you, Your….", only to freeze when he realised his blunder and a quick glance at King Furry told him that he couldn't even cover his mistake as King Furry was already looking at him with an amused smile on his face. He mentally chided himself that how could he make such a slip. After all, he didn't reveal his name during the entire conversation. Come to think of it, King Furry didn't even ask him during their meeting, So how did he - 'oh shit', Of course, he did this on purpose. Bulma warned him but he was foolish to let his guard down but he couldn't help it, after all the entire conversation was very relaxing and comforting.

In front of Gohan, King Furry was watching him going through a myriad of emotions. It was certainly amusing and has been for years, as he, often finds himself in these type of situations where the person having a conversation with him often slips up little things only to try and fail, covering them. However, usually those are the persons who come here believing that they can outsmart him and he finds it, surprisingly, satisfying to remind them why he's the King. You can't rule over the world without possessing necessary skills. It is the reason why Mr. Satan isn't an important figure in the government, considering his status and power. Though, he surely tried once. The person sitting before him, though didn't have a sliver of ill intent. So it would be unfair to allow him continue chastising himself for his little slip up.

"You don't have to punish yourself for this, Gohan. It was a setup on my part. I am not the King of the world for nothing. You, sure, are wise but I have something that you don't - experience and only the one possessing it wins, in this type of situations".

Gohan calmed down, at hearing those words. King Furry was right. He had a long way to go before he would be this capable. He, sure made a blunder but it wasn't like he was used to this type of situations. The question was, though, how did King Furry know his name and if he did why he didn't call him by that before. But before he could voice his question, it was answered by the King, himself.

"You must be wondering how I know your name. Well, I have been keeping tabs on your family". Before Gohan could say anything about it, he continued,"I don't know if you know it but after your father defeated demon king Piccolo, I continue to look for him for years but all efforts were in vain. So, when he was again spotted at 23rd WMAT and announced to marry Chichi, who I already knew as the daughter of Ox King, I immediately mentioned about your father to Ox King when he came for annual meeting that year. Though, he never mentioned about your powers but he continued to tell me about your well being and it was simple to recognise your father at Cell Games and consequently you. Though you had golden hair like now but if one looks carefully, he can easily make out the identity by facial similarities. Regarding you, well you are quite alike your father, so it wasn't difficult to recognize you as his son".

Gohan was stunned at hearing this. Nobody, not even his mom had told him that he wasn't as unrecognisable, in his super saiyan form, as he thought. But it wasn't like that anybody other was able to recognise him or his father, so it only meant one thing that King Furry had an exceptional skill in deduction and analysing.

"I don't even know what to say, Your Majesty. it's a lot to handle.", Gohan was silent for some moments and King Furry was patient enough to let him collect his thoughts and after some moments, he continued," I came here with an intention to keep my identity secret at all costs but I never expected that I would end up revealing it myself, like this, nonetheless, I know that I can trust you with my secrets, Your Majesty, after all you have been keeping them for so many years".

"I am glad we were able to arrive on a mutual understanding. As It's already evening time, I don't intend to make you late for your home but before that I would like to offer you my opinion on how you have dealt with the things so far. I, wholeheartedly, respect your feelings regarding your privacy and keeping your identity secret but do you think it's right? I, certainly not. By, giving the credit to Mr. Satan, though unintentionally, you made the people misplace their trust in him - the one who was the least deserving and that ungrateful and unashamed man made the most of it by making as much money as he could. Currently, he is the third richest person in the world, next to I and Bulma, only growing and to inform you, He didn't receive even a fraction of it for defeating Cell but made it from countless ventures that he has invested into, dojos and health care products among them. He even controls WMAT, one which was considered sacred by the martial artists back then due to the legends like your father".

He continued, "we both know that peace doesn't last forever. So what would happen when an evil alike Cell or worse than him appears. The people will follow Mr. Satan and he will continue to fool them. Though, I am sure, you will save the day but the cost will be very high. The truth will be revealed and people won't accept you".

Once again, Gohan was stunned by King Furry's far but wise thinking. Neither he nor his friends have considered these facts and scenarios. They were living with their life as usual, unaware of the consequences of their decision.

"We never thought this far, Your Majesty. To us, the safety of people's lives, without any villain threatening them, was sufficient. But considering your words, I realise that we need to delve deeper. However, I am a single person, thus can't speak on behalf of my friends. Kindly allow me to consult it with them, first and then communicate with you".

"Of course, I understand. This isn't a simple matter. Take your time and If you want, I would fully cooperate with you"

"Thank you, Your Majesty".

With this, after taking the permission to leave, Gohan left for his home with a lot of things on his mind.

. *. *. *

Please review and support……. See ya. Oh and I will be posting a story in which Vegeta goes to elemental nations on a covert mission by the Kais. See how he achieves his mission while setting the things into motion. It will be posted by next week. And, if anybody wants to become a beta reader, I would greatly appreciate it.


	3. Thoughts and Decisions

Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products.

Thanks to all who supported by reviewing. Sorry I am not mentioning them by their names. If anybody has any ideas regarding the story, they are welcome to provide.

Satan City has awakened from its slumber, a couple hours ago, not that it slept peacefully during the night. The city was the only one in the world that stayed wide awake for the entire night. You would, in fact, find more of its inhabitants awake during the night, than day. Night clubs, spacious and unoccupied roads at the countryside, prostitutes at road sides, effectively served to this purpose. All this began, however, after Cell Games as the recently coronated WMAT champ achieved victory over Cell, thus getting recognized in every corner of the world with his home city following the suite. Therefore, its recently earned moniker -Youthful City of World (Haha).

In the suburbs, where most of the low or middle working class lived, an ordinary man opened the door and after stretching and yawning loudly, he walked, while scratching his ass, towards the entrance to his small house where a newspaper was lying as his letterbox was apparently broken. As he bent down to pick it, a jet copter flew above him. Out of curiosity, he looked upwards and immediately frowned. The reason, a yellow jet with a widely known mark - SATAN written on its side.

It's been five days since the Gold Fighter event transpired and its effects were that, now, people couldn't simply believe Mr. Satan's claims of certain people as tricksters. The Gold Fighter certainly saw to that. So, the entire world, save a few, was caught in a dilemma that those powers couldn't be tricks, after all everybody saw it on tv but at the same time, they couldn't simply call Mr. Satan a liar because he ought to have some reason to label those fighters as such. Needless to say the entire world was waiting for Mr. Satan, who was reported to be on a tour regarding his health products, to return and provide his views on this. Nonetheless, the delusional yet grandeur world created by the people, of their saviour, had begun to crack.

Unaware of the looks she was getting from the people on ground as well as of the thoughts swirling in their minds, Videl continued to survey the city as per her daily routine. She would wake up at 5:00 am daily, only to do a light to medium workout so as to preserve her energy, after all she wouldn't want to get stuck up in an adverse situation because she wasn't hundred percent. At 7:00 am, she would leave, after using the last hour to get ready, to get a bird's view of the city for any mishappenings. She had been doing it for the last three years, after she got her own licence of a non-official cop. Being the daughter of the world saviour, definitely had its perks. She wasn't ashamed of the fact that she had used her father's name and fame for getting out of stickier situations. After all, it was her birthright. A child shouldn't have to hesitate when asking the help of his/her parents. This worked both ways though and she totally believed it. Now, though, the situation has changed and not for better. The Gold Fighter event had given the people, what the so called rivals of his father termed as, a wake up call against Mr. Satan. These people were not even capable enough, to be termed as rivals. Her father had far surpassed them in business and stakeholding. They were only bitter people who just wanted to get back at him. Not that, they were not trying it for years but at that time there was no ground for them to establish themselves let alone affect her father. Now, though, the gold fighter event had not only provided them a raised platform but also enough material to launch verbal missiles at him. But the shocking fact was, it was actually working, though gradually.

On the day of that event, nothing happened. Nobody was capable to comprehend that event, at the time it happened. The next day was, when all hell broke. From newspapers and magazines to Tvs and blogs, everything was stuffed with the event. The news of every source began with describing the event but ended with a curious yet frightening question - why were those powers labelled as tricks by Mr. Satan? Of course, nobody could answer this but the one, who was the source. People were waiting, with trepidation, for Mr. Satan to return and answer. After all, they had seven years of hope and trust instated into him, seven years of their life completely devoted to him, which couldn't be broken so easily not when Mr. Satan had not said anything about it. They were sure he wouldn't break their hard formed trust and that he ought to have a reason for this. The world was vacillating on their emotions and the above reason was the only one, preventing the people from releasing them with a burst.

However, it didn't mean that people were unaffected. Far from it, sure they were not explicit about it but implications were apparent and obviously on her. Since her father was not there, she was the recipient of their feelings. The wariness, distrust and hidden anger was waiting to consume her, if and when her worst fears came true. Everyone in her father's circle and even in hers, shared the same emotion. Her peers at school and even the teachers were wary and unsure of her. It was blatant, as the same persons who were eager to get even a glimpse of her and considered themselves lucky, if she even shared a greeting with them, were avoiding her and those who were her associates, though conversed with her like before, but the awkwardness and uncertainty was clear as a mirror. It was sickening to think how much they associated her with her father that her own being was nearly non existent. It was the reason she did not have many associates let alone friends. Only Sharpener and Erasa were her actual friends, as they cared for her and not of her image due to her father. She could clearly remember the conversation that happened, after the school, the next day.

 **FLASHBACK**

Videl along with Sharpener and Erasa, were walking towards the gate after her classes ended. The day was quite exhausting as the clearly tense atmosphere weighed heavily on their minds. From the moment she entered the school, wariness and uncertainty towards her, settled on her shoulders. It was the same even now, as they were walking, all around them were, not so quiet whispers and stares, directed at Videl.

"Jeez, look at them staring at Videl as if she killed their only cat".

"Be serious Sharpy, Videl surely doesn't need your attitude when she already has so much to deal with".

"Hey, I was only trying to lighten her up and she definitely needs that".

"Sharpener", began Erasa only to be interrupted by Videl, "It's okay, Erasa. For the first time I don't mind him at all. Both of your support, at this moment, shows your true feelings for me. I am glad you are my friends, real and only friends".

"Of course silly, you shouldn't even think about it. We will always be with you", replied Erasa in her usual bubbly voice.

"Yeah and you better believe it".

Videl only smiled at their antics, her first true smile in two days. "Thanks..., both of you".

 **FLASHBACK END**

However, excluding them there was no one in her peers, who, she could call as her well wisher.

Even the police officials were not absolute in their behaviour and trust towards her. It was significant from the fact that the same cops, especially the new ones, who used to become a nervous wreck in front of her and were eager to follow her commands more than the chief's, now, listened to her as if they were forced. Only one who didn't estrange her, was the police chief himself. Being her father's only friend from his childhood, he became a sort of father figure to her. Even the criminals were not an exception to this newly formed norm. In fact, they were the worst as they were fully vocal about it. She could clearly remember the words of Teddy, the leader of shark gang, and his crew, back from the day she had went to stop him from escaping with looted jewellery. 'Hey it's the champion of frauds' daughter' was spoken by Teddy and other had said, 'Hey boss, did she know' and Teddy had replied affirmatively.

Those words stung but the looks given by the people tore away her heart. She couldn't believe that despite having done so much for the people, they couldn't look, at her, past her father's image.

Her further musings were halted when CCN system alerted her of reaching her destination. Quickly landing and encapsulating her airplane, she went to her class. Ignoring the stares, she sat on her usual seat after greeting her only and true friends.

It was lunchtime. Half of the school day had passed as usual, nowadays. It was the first time Videl had waited for lunchtime, so desperately for escaping from the stares and whispers. Now, she along with Erasa and Sharpener were sitting in the cafeteria, eating their food while conversing with one another, occasionally, while ignoring the news telecast about the usual, nowadays, Gold Fighter event.

As she was eating, Erasa was watching her for a few moments, unknown to her. Erasa was thinking how the girl wasn't her normal self, ever since that fateful day and she wanted nothing more than Videl to recover and she was sure Sharpener was the same. It was then Erasa saw Sharpener, trying to get her attention, in the edge of her vision. She glanced at him and found him making a motion of his arm and Videl's neck. She immediately understood and nodded.

Sharpener, taking a breath, put his arm around Videl and spoke, "hey don't worry, I am sure when Mr. Satan comes, he's gonna make it alright for his sweeeet peaaaa yyyeeaahhhh", while imitating, to his best, Mr. Satan as he said the last word, followed by a boisterous laugh - a typical Mr. Satan laugh.

Hearing this Videl and Erasa laughed and suddenly the mood changed to better, with rest of the lunch done in a relatively happy atmosphere. Time passed and it was then the bell rang signifying the end of break, however, before they could even stand, a loud exclamation made them turn towards Tv.

'BREAKING NEWS: GOLD FIGHTER SAVES THE DAY, AGAIN'.

Needless to say, they were all glued to the screen, immediately, where a reporter was announcing the news.

' _We are reporting from the South City where a shocking event transpired, half an hour ago. It's been reported that Bulma Briefs along with Joe Edible were testing the durability of a space suit, designed and manufactured by Capsule Corporation for the national space agency - SSA. The space suit will be used for an upcoming solar program in which the government aims to surpass their previous distance mark by nearly five times. For this, the services of world's leading tech corporation - The Cc, were hired, last year. After one year of work, Bulma Briefs announced the completion of space suit and considering how adventurous she can be, she volunteered in place of a test subject, despite many protests. Since, Mr. Joe is a world renowned man of action and Bulma's friend, he also agreed, quite happily too. So when they were testing the heat endurance of the suit inside the volcano LC by going deeper and deeper into it, despite the warnings, a tremor lead to Bulma's foot slipping and falling into the lava and Mr. Joe, followed, while trying to catch her. They were quickly seized by the lava but barely two seconds later, strong gusts of wind flowed towards and tore down the lava. A couple of moments later, a man emerged from the lava with both the persons, in either of his hands and after soundly depositing them, where the rest of the crew was, he flew away. Mrs. Bulma and Mr. Joe are reported to be completely safe thus establishing the durability of the space suit. Now, we will be showing you a slowed down video, as at normal frames, the camera wasn't able to capture him. Though, even at slow motion, his face couldn't be clearly captured due to too much reddish-orange hue in the volcano as well as his messed up hair"._

It was then, they, along with most of the world, witnessed another breathtaking phenomenon. They saw as how, despite the slow motion, the camera was only able to capture a golden flash before it, literally, disappeared into hot lava. They also witnessed the lava shooting upwards due to the motion but was repelled by the torrent of winds crashing from upwards. A few moments later, the man emerged from the lava while holding the rescued and after depositing them safely, flew away. The news telecast again continued, after this.

' _As you saw, the man saved them from the boiling pools of lava while staying unharmed. Several key points have been established by our analysts from this and some important ones are that it was indeed a gold fighter as proved by the golden trail and his golden hair. Secondly, this wasn't the same gold fighter who rescued King Furry as this was of a short stature than the other one and also had long hair, as captured by the camera, that we can clearly see sprawled over his face to his collarbone with some standing here and there. Thirdly and certainly most shocking was his apparent immunity to the dangerous heat levels. As we can clearly see, when he was about to flew away, he was completely nude supporting the fact of our analysts, that whatever he would have been wearing, got burnt in lava. Though his skin was reflecting as, of orange colour due to inside the volcano, but he was completely unharmed. The question is how could this be possible if they are only lights and ropes"?_

Videl and her two friends didn't need to listen anything more due to the growing uncomfortable atmosphere around them, so they quickly stood up and left the school, mid day with Videl praying for her father's return so she, along with the entire world, could get answers to his lies. Yes, there was no doubt left about the authenticity of these powers, not after this recent event.

 **YESTERDAY, IN WEST CITY**

In the capsule corporation, on the third floor, was the entire gang, sitting or standing as it suited their personalities. Currently, the adults were enjoying light snacks with cups of tea, with children playing at one side. They had recently finished their conversation which was about the meeting that Gohan had with King Furry. Initially, they were not at all interested in revealing their abilities and the source - KI, to the world because if accessed by wrong people, the effects could be devastating. However, all that changed when Gohan announced the parting words of King Furry. It was then, they realised that the words of the King were full of wisdom as if a greater evil than cell appears, which, unknown to King, had already appeared in the form of Bojack, the people would behave the same as they did in the galactic tournament. The group couldn't believe it, even till today, that despite seeing them fighting in front of their eyes, while flying and shooting KI blasts, the people simply believed that it was preorganized by Mr. Satan so as to mock the tricksters. All of this indicated that people would simply brush off any villain like Cell or worse Bojack, if it appeared, after all, the universe was a big place and who knew how many dangerous secrets were lurking there. They were sure that people wouldn't spare a passing glance at any such being, considering the fact that they were living among all sorts of talking animals. They would continue to follow Mr. Satan till their doom.

This was the point that all the fighters agreed upon, though Vegeta and Piccolo were simply unvocal about it.They also shared the feeling, that if such horrible fate befell upon the earth, they wouldn't be able to forgive themselves because directly or indirectly, they had allowed this mess to escalate upto this, well not everybody - Vegeta didn't give a fuck about the fate of humanity much less the planet.

But, despite their general consensus about King Furry's words, they did not immediately agree to the decision of revealing their secrets to others. Arguments were thrown, where the guys like Krillin and Gohan were in support of the decision, their belief that humans should learn it, as it was sort of their right. Moreover, it would only help the group as two hands were better than one. No doubt, most of the humans of current generation would only be able to fight at Nappa's level. However the next generations would be strong. Bulma had already proved the fact that in next generations, the children, born of the parents who would already be using KI, would be more durable. Though, It didn't mean that the current human generation was weak. No, there were a few, who could grow up to Krillin's level meaning additional support for them. But as every coin has two sides, there were arguments against this also and leading them was, only Tien. According to him, world wide access to KI would only provide an easy to use weapon of destruction to its wielders. For their whims, the people, now, were already using bombs and explosives, so what was their to stop them from using KI attacks. Any deranged idiot could blow away a block or so, to vent his frustration and anger.

Both the parties gave equally valid points leading to non decision on the matter. It was then, as they were about to adjourn their meeting to another day, the persons who were least expected, voiced their thoughts leading to decision on the matter. First one to speak was Piccolo, his words were that he, having Kami's knowledge knew that when Kami first decided to teach Mutaito, the master of Roshi, the evil containment wave and basics of KI, by sending the required knowledge to his mind by way of dreams, he was wary that Mutaito might not use it for required purpose. But when he used it for sealing his evil part and later on continued living peacefully, without using his skills against the welfare of humanity, his doubts vanished. His beliefs, only grew stronger when Mutaito taught the moral values to his apprentices who also used them with utmost care, thus signifying that they could trust the humanity. Next was to speak android Eighteen, her words were simple yet effective. She stated that she and her brother didn't even have any martial arts training let alone the knowledge of KI and even then Dr. Gero was able to modify their bodies to such levels that they could easily defeat a Super Saiyan whose prowess was above Frieza - the same being who ruled over the better part of the universe, what was there to stop other mad scientists from doing something like this and if such thing really happens, the humans would, at least know what they would be dealing with and how. Next to last was, surprisingly Vegeta, who simply stated that it's about time the weaklings start learning to clean their own mess.

His intentions were clear, despite the unspoken words, that Saiyans won't be this strong forever. Future generations will see to that. Last person to put her two Zennis, was Bulma herself. She stated that If Vegeta could stand beside them today and participate in their conversation amicably, well as much as it's possible for him, they could surely trust humanity, in this instance. Because no matter what, the few humans who, possibly, would use KI for not so good deeds, couldn't be compared to Vegeta, due to the deeds done by him in the past, ever.

Everybody understood the words and the thoughts and feelings behind them. They realised that they need to put their faith in humanity. If Goku could give a last chance to Frieza of all, humanity deserved it too and their first one also. Following this, the course of action was immediately decided. Bulma contacted the Royal Palace and conveyed, to King Furry, the decision that would change the fate of the world.

 **ROYAL PALACE, CENTRAL CITY**

King Furry put down the receiver, after talking to Bulma. He wasn't surprised by their decision, having already known their choice. He had already seen it, in Gohan's eyes, when he had made his opinion, about letting Hercule do as pleased, known to Gohan. The confusion for a moment, realisation then regret and at last, determination to set things straight, lead to him preconceive the, now decided notion.

He, immediately, pressed one on his telephone and a second later a feminine voice answered.

"Your Majesty".

"Maria, I would like to have a talk with Mr. Satan and make it happen by any means".

"Sure, Your Majesty. It would be done immediately"

"Thank you, Maria"

"My pleasure, Sire". A few moments passed as the bell rang, then a tired voice spoke, "King Furry".

'Oh! so now he accepts me as his King', mused King Furry, after all, for the past seven years, Mr. Satan had been addressing him by his name, as if they were classmates. But, despite the respect shown by Hercule, which itself was a first, he only replied, in a firm voice.

"Mark Hercule Satan".

\--

Who was he? This was the question interfering his thoughts nowadays and if one were to look for an answer to this question, he won't have to make a wide search, in fact the area of his search would be quite limited. Just look at the southern suburbs, and you would get to satisfy your curiosities. Coming from a poor family, born to a carpenter as a father and an unoccupied mother, he began assisting his father at dawn and dusk while also studying at a local school. It was at the school, when he was asked to participate in the annual athletics meet. Of course having a physique better than his peers, due to working with his father, he won every single of them. Impressed by his skills, coach recommended him to the athletic team at the city, where, initially, beginning as a reserve player and staying as such for one year, he got his chance when a player was injured. They won the match due to his efforts in relay race. He was celebrated but it wasn't enough. Ever since he came to the city, he was enthralled by the riches of people. Luxury houses, vintage cars and out of the world lifestyle, all invited him and he wanted them, badly but couldn't afford them. Not by a long chance.

Even in those days, Martial arts was the most popular and rewarding activity. It was based on a common notion that higher the risk, more the reward. As People placed their lives on line, though safety measures were available but anything could happen, it was only necessary that they should be paid enough to equate the risk. So, when his coach in the city, suggested randomly, that he should try his luck in martial arts, he fervently agreed. The coach, surprised yet captivated by his enthusiasm, immediately agreed and even stimulated his career by introducing him to a martial arts coach. During the next year, he continued to train in the intrinsic parts of martial arts. It was during that year, they received a surprising news, that, a boy, nearly five years younger than him, had become the youngest finalist. But nobody was more surprised than him, as a fucking kid was in the finals. But quickly chalking it up to some early training, he consoled his mind.

Three years later, he won his first intercity martial arts tournament, after trying it for two times. He was overjoyed but it was short lived when he heard of the same kid, from before, managing to win the title of mightiest under the heavens. He watched and rewatched the entire tournament and it made him bitter that, an idiot, to whom WMAT was a type of game, won it despite that and if it wasn't enough, the bastard got to marry a real fucking princess, when he didn't even know the meaning of marriage. That night, he drank for the first time in his life to drown away the bitterness, the anger - was that anger… yeah it was, at Son Goku for stealing what should have been his. But nothing was going to come, to him, by itself yet he had to achieve, a wealthy lifestyle. So keeping this in mind, he continued to train. Three years later, he won the 24th WMAT, though nobody, save a few, knew that he won his last match illicitly. His opponent, whose name he didn't remember, was going to beat him, after fighting for twenty minutes, but he couldn't afford that. So, he blew a colourless and odourless drug, discreetly, at his face. The result was as he expected. In few moments, his opponent started swaying down and he, managing a hard shot to his face, rendered him unconscious and was declared the winner. Though, he was surprised, at that time and even till today, that Son Goku and his friends hadn't come. However, it didn't matter, at all.

The following life was good. He, along with his wife and daughter, moved to a better part of the city. Yeah, he was married at the time he won WMAT, to a reporter, the same one who used to write about his matches before and with her, he had a four year old daughter - his sweet pea. Though, he was happy, he wasn't content. He wanted more. So with this in mind, he started to look for Son Goku and his friends, believing that if manage to defeat Goku, he would be hailed as the strongest, as even now, that bastard was more popular than him. It was during one of his various endeavours to look for Goku, he came across Tao Pai Pai - a legend himself, before Son Goku. Thinking if he could defeat Tao, he would get a gauge of his own power, he attacked Tao. But was quickly defeated. With his arm broken and leg twisted at right angle, he was barely able to witness Tao conjuring a bright ball of light, which he later learned, was termed as KI, only to throw at him, or rather at the rock beside him which quickly turned to dust. Tao left soon by quoting 'It would be beneath me to kill a weakling like you'. It was then, he started to seriously despite those fighters with weird energy attacks, not that he wasn't doing it before but it was limited to his circle. However, after that, he started calling those fighters, tricksters and their abilities, tricks. Of course, he knew he was doing it out of spite that he couldn't perform them and yes, those abilities were real, he knew it, definitely after Tao Pai Pai incident.

During the year, he was able to recover and it was then he heard of Cell Games. He wasn't sure if he should go, despite people urging him as the world champ. But on assurance of his manager, who was later revealed to be the brother of the finalist defeated by him at WMAT, he went to the location of Cell Games, believing, what he was made to, that Cell was a freak in costume. Instead, he was quickly reminded of his place, when Cell easily swatted him away. Later on, he lived through the most unbelievable event - the battle between the titans. Though, he wasn't able to see them, he surely felt them, he didn't know how, but he did. So, he wouldn't be lying if he stated that he was jealous of them, of their abilities.

Therefore, when Son Goku sacrificed himself - yes he knew they were Son Goku and his friends, after all they were simply addressing each other by their names, he, despite scared, was a bit gleeful also. Later when his son defeated Cell, he felt a lot of spite towards Son Goku because the man was a thorn in his side through his legacy, even after dying and also the fact that a child was able to accomplish what he couldn't. However, they all left, surprisingly, without claiming themselves as the reason of Cell's loss. But one's loss, another's gain and he quickly capitalized from this fact by claiming himself as the winner without realising the consequences.

The following week was a rush. He barely got time for himself much less Videl and his wife. After reaching his home, he was greeted by horde of people, eager to get a glimpse of their saviour. Politicians, sports personalities, Tv celebrities, all came to greet him personally. It was then, the mayor of Satan City asked him for a suitable gift as they couldn't decide anything worthy for him. His answer was his current mansion. There wasn't even a need to think about it as it was his dream. Though, he surely dreaded about his decision of taking credit for defeating cell, for the next week thinking if those people came back for revenge, but when they didn't, he happily embraced the status, brought by his fame and popularity.

From then, every decision he made, was a stepping stone towards the world that he established and was the king of, today. Establishing his dojos all around the globe, his chain of stores selling fitness and health products. Major stakes in world renowned companies except Capsule Corporation, where that women denied him and he could have taken some action against her like simply bad mouthing her company and a lot of people, if not all, would have followed him affecting the economy of her corporation, but he didn't because Bulma had threatened him that she would reveal the truth to the world, he didn't know how but he didn't want to test his, so far good luck. It didn't mean that he stayed silent, no he had hired Tao Pai Pai to assassinate Bulma,as she knew his secrets, but two days later Tao's mangled remains were found in his room with a note, from the person who did it, surprisingly, urging him to try this as many times as he wished. Needless to say, he was afraid to even think about it let alone try. He also tried his luck in the government and the result was that all the mayors in the world sans west city, were the candidates, he supported. However, his wish to have an absolute say in government was denied, when King Furry made a wager with him in which he was to fight an opponent chosen by the King and on winning, he would be instituted in his cabinet of ministers. The result was, well, contradictory to his desires. He never tried that again. Another, minor setback, yes by that time it was only minor, was the leaving of his wife. With the fame and money, he received, his affairs with other women increased. Earlier, they were very few so there were no chances of their discovery. But after Cell games, it was difficult to hide them when most of the women he was seeing, were adamant, quite pleasingly too, for taking them to his mansion. The result was his wife finding about them and thus leaving him. Though, she understood that he would be able to look after Videl better than her, not that he would have let go Videl, she was his most precious treasure, after all. Nonetheless, Ignoring these few events, everything was good for him, having most of the world in his hands sans King Furry and Bulma's reigns.

All of this changed, however, when those fighters had to appear and save the King. When the news about an accident with King's plane reached him, he was ecstatic, inwardly. After all, it would make things smoother for him. So, when the news reached that King was saved by a, what the world was calling him, gold fighter, he was shocked, livid and then afraid when questions started popping about his claims. He couldn't allow it, not after everything that he had done to reach this far. Therefore, giving an excuse and prolonging his tour, he started working his mind overdrive. Luckily, he was able to come with an explanation, a basic yet good one. He decided, he would say that of course he knew about KI but didn't make it public because it was dangerous and the Cell Games surely proved that. Therefore, for the safety of people from such risky stuff, he had to label KI as a trick. It, also, provided an insurance to him because it would portray him as a, sort of martyr as by labelling KI users as tricksters, he was condemning himself, as well. He was sure the people, gullible as they were, would blindly follow him. However, all his plans were ruined when another of those fighters saved that damned Bulma and Joe from the fucking volcano and in this case, he couldn't claim himself as an equal to those people because it was already known that he wasn't fire proof, due to an event that happened a few months ago, where he received third degree burns and even lost the hair on chest. This event was telecasted throughout the world. So now, everything he achieved, was on the verge of collapsing and he couldn't do a single thing about it. But before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, he was interrupted by a phone call and upon checking it, his heartbeat quickened. It was the King of the world's call and he had to decide quickly, whether to pick it up or not but decided not to. However, barely a couple of seconds have passed, when his phone beeped indicating a text message. It was from the Royal Palace and reading it, his visage paled as the message stated that if he didn't pick the next and the only call, the Royal Troops themselves, would come to get him and they knew where he was. They were Military after all. So, he didn't even think before he picked the next call and replied in a subdued manner.

"King Furry", while knowing what Furry might be thinking of the way he addressed him this time as for years in the past, he was calling him, simply Furry. So, when his greeting was answered in a firm tone, he cringed visibly.

"Mark Hercule Satan".

Quickly, swallowing the trepidation, he felt on hearing the barely concealed heat in the tone, he replied, while trying to maintain his image as best as he could, "y-yeah, how could I help you"?

The reply was instantaneous and without any warmth. "You will come to my palace by tomorrow. Failure to comply will result in severe consequences, sooner than you have anticipated".

Hercule managed to reply, shakily, "s-sure King F-Fury".

The phone was disconnected and so was his energy in his legs and he quickly fell on his knees and hands.

Everything from, money to property, fame to status, girls…. every single fucking thing would be gone, King's last words definitely confirmed that.

He was hyperventilating, by this time.

CCN - Capsule Corporation Navigation

SSA - Samrao Space Agency, named after a national scientist.

LC - Lava Core, simply

Please support and review. My other story, A Saiyan in Shinobi Lands is also available to read. I am sharing the link here. Though, people have followed and favorited it, they haven't reviewed. So, I will ask you to please review after reading as a writer's efficiency is proved by the words he receives from his readers.

Link: https/m./s/13289841/1/A-Saiyan-in-Shinobi-Lands


	4. Showdown

Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products.

oooooo

Lies - a simple word, made up of equally simple, four letters. It's even easier to pronounce it. The words like catastrophic and cataclysmic, on the other hand, have more weight and are difficult to pronounce. Yet, If I tell you, that the former word is more dangerous than, both the latter words. Of course, you wouldn't believe me. The reason, behind your thoughts, would be that lies are simple words compared to cataclysm and catastrophes, which are destructive events. They would tear apart your body and your world, whereas lies - few simple, spoken words, can't do that. True, but not essentially. Catastrophes and cataclysm might destroy your body but lies are worse. They tear your soul, your emotions, your feelings and beliefs.

Lies seduce you. They entice you, to create a world in which you would be the king. You start speaking lies, to escape when cornered, to console and please your ego and to manipulate others. Sooner, you are speaking lies to cover the previous ones. And, it doesn't take time, when you find yourself trapped, in the web of lies. At that time, desperation grips your mind and body. The lies, sweet words and manipulations, you have used, flood your mind. It is then, you want to crawl away from your life. But nothing helps, then, at all.

All of the above happened with Mr. Satan. When he lied about defeating cell, on TV, he didn't expect that a horde of people would be greeting and celebrating him. Neither did, he expect, the riches and status that would tag along. Sure, he expected a rise in fame and popularity than, what WMAT granted him, but not the position of 3rd richest in the world and definitely, not, the status of God, that people bestowed upon him. And, alike any other normal human, who would always crave, even a bit of what was offered to him, he, very happily, embraced all that. Soon, all his actions, hell even thoughts, while sitting in the fucking toilet of all, were about magnifying his fame, money and status. Countless lies were spoken. Unhealthy manipulations were done. Everything and everyone, became a stepping stone, for him.

But, as they say, if nobody is watching you, God sure is and karma is a bitch.

All those lies, manipulations and washing of his dirty laundries, was, finally, going to come to light, because that gold fighter event happened. And, King Furry, calling him yesterday, sealed that, officially.

So, here we find Mr. Satan, landing in the courtyard of Royal Palace, Central city. He was gazing out of the window glass, with a dazed look in his eyes. This continued for few seconds until his pilot, brought him out of his musings.

"Sir, we have reached our destination".

He turned towards his pilot, with a confused face but, barely a second later, realization dawned upon his face and he nodded twice, confirming his understanding. With that he stepped out of his jet plane and started walking towards the entrance to the Royal Palace, his steps, small and forced, with his upper body, slightly hunched and his gaze focused at the tiles, in front of him. All this, indicated his mental turmoil. He was soon joined by the guards, who started escorting him. No words were spoken. Soon, the number of people started decreasing, until, only the sound of a few people walking, remained. A fact, not went unnoticed by him, and these people, he and his four escorts.

They reached a room, after few turns, and the leading escort opened the door.

"Your Majesty, Hercule Satan is here". The blatant disregard of his status was duly noticed, by him. He also saw, how King Furry, despite having clearly heard his guard, remained busy with his papers.

This went on for several minutes, until King Furry looked up and, simply, nodded. The guards entered while ushering him inside and the sound of the door closing, followed, soon. He started walking towards the chairs and extended his hand, palm open, clearly, to pull one of them.

"I didn't permit you, to sit, Satan, did I"? The voice was monotonous.

The open palm, which was about to grab the chair, halted, and stayed like that for a second, when it was clenched into a fist and lowered down.

The disrespect and blatant insult, were getting on his nerves and if it had happened, a few days ago, he would….. No! he realised, that this couldn't have happened a few days ago. Everything was alright, then, but not now and he couldn't do anything about it. He would have to bear it all, now and for the rest of his life. 'Might get used to it, heheh', he mused, but was brought out of them, by the person, before him.

"You didn't answer me, Satan and I don't like, being ignored". The slight edge, in the tone, was apparent.

He, quickly shook his head, in answer to the previous question, asked by the King. However, this wasn't enough.

"You will answer with words, Satan, not your body".

Swallowing the rage that flowed through his being, he spoke, for the first time, today, "No, Your Majesty. You didn't". He knew, he was already treading on thin ice and didn't want to make it worse, by not giving due respect to the King. Something, his past self, hadn't have, even cared, at all.

King didn't reply, instead continued looking at him, with those unnerving eyes.

\--ooooooooo--

The scenario playing before, was thoroughly witnessed by the guards. The three of them, were totally unfazed but the remaining one wasn't. Just say that, if he wasn't required to maintain the proper decorum, he would have been eating his nails, out. This guard was newly reassigned, barely a week ago, to the Royal Guard. And, he couldn't believe, how King Furry was behaving. He had heard the King was a kind and noble man, but the reality was something unexpected. No doubt, he was dreading for his future. However, as stated earlier, the other three were completely unfazed by the situation. The reason, they had been serving in Royal Guard for ten years and knew that their King didn't have, even a single evil bone in his body. Whatever, he did, wasn't without a purpose. The situation before, wasn't any different. Being, closely associated with King, they knew most of the material news. So, it wasn't surprising that Mr. Satan was getting a taste of his own treatment of others. They had heard several instances, when Mr. Satan had used his status, unethically. The recent one, being, when he was penalised for running a traffic light, by a police officer. He took this as an insult and had the official reassigned, to his personal security but tasked him with gate duty, beyond and above, working hours. It was only, when the news reached the King, mind it after three months, the official was saved. But as usual, they couldn't call out Mr. Satan, due to the immense public support, he had. Several incidents, like this, were there. So, it was only fair, if Mr. Satan experiences, what, he made others.

oooooo_oooooo_

After looking for a few seconds, the King, finally, spoke, "You know the reason, why you are here. So, I am going to ask you some questions and I, only, want the truth. Am I clear, Satan"?

Of course, he knew the reason. How couldn't he? With everything, that had happened in the past week, it was even surprising, he was standing here and having a civil conversation, with the king, well, as civil as possible in this situation. But, then he heard the last words of King and, despite not liking being ordered, he knew he had to reply.

"Hai, Your Majesty".

The King began, "the authenticity of, what you labelled KI as, tricks have already been established. There is no need to talk about that. Neither there is, to know the reason, why you labelled it as such. However, I do want to know why you claimed to defeat cell, when we both know, you didn't"?

He was, initially, surprised by the King dismissing, his labelling of Ki, as tricks, but realised that with gold fighter event, having happened, there wasn't any need to discuss the issue, as the entire world, knew by now, that those tricks were real. But, what he didn't understand, was why the King dismissed his reason to label KI as tricks. He couldn't ask, though, as he was, simply, in no position to do so. So, pushing aside these thoughts, he replied to, what was being asked to him, "I…..it was jealousy. …..Jealousy at what those fighters were able to do, especially that kid, self loathing at my incapacity to do anything, while a kid was able to do impossible. But, above everything, it was in the heat of the moment. I didn't even realise, before I had claimed the victory. One second, we were watching those fighters and next they were gone, leaving us alone and confused. So, whhen the cameraman asked me, what happened, the rage and jealousy induced me to take the claim".

"You took the claim, from A KID who not only SAVED your life but this world also, just because you were jealous? The kid lost his father that day, another fighter lost his son, and you were JEALOUS"!

The rage was palpable in King's words. Some words were forced, yet all was said in a calm tone. Yet, he wasn't concerned by that. Neither about, King rebuking him for taking the credit. Instead, he was confused about, what the King said, that Goku and that Trunks kid died. He knew they were killed, he was there, after all. But everybody was brought back and surely, they should have been, too. But from the tone of the King, it seemed that hadn't happened. But why? So, he voiced his confusion, "But everyone who died, was resurrected, though, I didn't know how. So, how could they stay dead"?

The reply came but after a few seconds, "one of them, was brought back but it wasn't that kid's father. He sacrificed himself, eternally, leading to the resurrection of everyone who died. But, you didn't care, much less respect him. Instead, you ridiculed his, and others' sacrifices. Do you even realise what would have happened if those fighters were not there? Not this world, not you and not certainly, your precious daughter, would be here today"?

Goku sacrificing himself leading to resurrection of others? This was confusing as hell. But he couldn't voice it, as he was sure King wouldn't give any answer let alone truth. However, did he realise the fact? Yes he did. But only during the first month, after taking the credit. He dreaded, during that period, what would happen if anything like Cell comes or if those fighters came to reclaim their credit. However, all his worries and fears left, barely a month later. When those fighters defeated that alien Bojack and his group, and didn't even refute the claim he made, let alone take the claim for themselves, he realised that, those fighters would, foolishly, continue to place their lives on line while he would eat the fruits of their efforts, without any worry. But he couldn't tell this to the King.

"I realise it. In fact, initially, I was afraid that they would come and reclaim the victory. But when they didn't, I couldn't help but embrace all, that came after my claims".

"I am not surprised by your words. After all, greed and jealousy have always been influencing your decisions, even from back, when you were a kid. You have despised Goku ever since….", The focus of his senses shifted inwardly, towards his thoughts, tuning out the words of King. King knew about his life, from his teenage. It was, surely, surprising but unexpected? No. After all the person before him was the King of the world. He ought to know anything he required. But before he could delve deeper in his thoughts, his senses, once again, registered the rest of the words of the King.

"... understand, why you despised those fighters. But the people were innocent. They trusted you, put their seven years worth of hard earned money, time and emotions in you and you used them. You exploited all that. Do you, even, regret that"?

Well, not before. But, now, as the King put it like that, he surely did. So this formed the base of his answer. "I….do. In fact, I didn't even expect everything that I have today. Sure, I expected a slight rise in fame and status, than WMAT, but never in my dreams, about the status of a ...God, that was bestowed upon me. I remember how, masses greeted me, celebrated me when I went back to Satan city. How during the first week, people of the world and every single mayor of the city, sent me money and gifts, how the mayor of Satan City asked me, what I wanted. And, when I asked the mansion, I was sure that I would be denied. But, to my utter amazement, they agreed, immediately too. After that, it was one after another company, appointing me as their ambassador. And, alike any other human, who would surely crave, even a bit of what was offered to me, I happily accepted everything".

The King became silent for a couple of seconds and while gazing at his desk, he wrote something. It was then, when he looked up and shouted 'GUARDS', did the alarms rang in his head. No later, he was surrounded by those four guards. But he was only surprised by this. When the King called him and threatened to use force, to bring him here, he had realised then only, that this meeting would be decisive. It would, either, to say, make him or break him. Though, the chances of the former, were very bleak.

"Mark Hercule Satan. You have committed the biggest conspiracy, in the history of this world. You have fooled the masses and consequently, the state. It won't go unpunished. Therefore, by the authority bestowed into me, as the King of the world, I hereby put you under arrest. But, like every citizen of this world, you would, also, be given a chance to defend yourself. You will be subjected to a trial, where your case will be decided".

Well if he wasn't shocked by this, he sure was, by King's next words.

"Meanwhile, your accounts are being audited and will be done by today. Everything, that isn't rightfully yours, would be confiscated. This conversation, is also, being video-recorded. We might need this for future evidence".

His mind blanked for a few moments, and then he slumped in defeat.

By this time, the guards were already dragging him away.

oooooo_

After dealing with Hercule Satan, King Furry proceeded towards next work, to be done.

He pressed one, on his telephone and a second later, his secretary answered.

"Your Majesty".

"Maria, arrange for Drone X and link it with National Tv, to be broadcasted globally".

"Sure Sire".

National Tv, was the Tv company owned by the state. After Cell Games, its TRP was on decline, due to people preferring STv. But, after the gold fighter event, people weren't willing to trust Hercule Satan and in return, STv. And, National Tv, definitely gained from this.

Few seconds later, Drone X flew in the room. It was a special drone, that could connect with any Satellite of the state. When he wanted to deliver the speech to public, during the plane accident, he could have used Drone X but as stated earlier, people were more inclined towards STv.

After the connection was established, King Furry began, "Greetings, People of Earth, I hope you are well. This is the second time in a week, I am addressing the entire world. However, it can not be helped as the issue in hand, holds such importance. The past week, as we all know, was a rush. Two accidents were prevented by those brave gold fighters but, in the wake of that, it revealed a worldwide conspiracy - Are flying and those energy attacks, tricks? The answer was presented to us twice, that they aren't. But, then, this paves another question - Why did Hercule Satan lie? I know the entire world, eagerly, wants to know the truth, and in the wake of this, several theories and claims have been made, which requires me, to inform you, that all those are false. Now, as your King, it's my duty to guide you, out of uncertain and harsh times and, in this instance, with help of my trusted crew, we were able to unravel all the mysteries. And, as a citizen, this is your right to be aware of it. So, I ask you all, to attend the conference, in two days, at Royal Arena, Central City and I assure you, every question will be answered, every mystery will be solved. You won't live in dark, anymore. Concluding this, I would like to bid farewell to you, and, once again, I ask you to attend the conference. You deserve it".

ooooooo_ooooooo_

The Tv was switched off. There was a palpable grimness in the room. Two of the three persons, glanced at each other, apparently concerned about the person sitting in front of them, who, though, had a grim look on her visage but determination, in her eyes, was apparent. The girl sitting on her right, placed a hand on her shoulder, gently, and asked, "are you alright"? The worry was blatant.

The person in question, didn't reply for few seconds, instead continued looking at the wall, in front. But when it seemed, there wouldn't be any reply, she spoke, "I am holding but I will be better after this conference, when I know the truth and nobody's gonna stop me".

The duo wanted to say something like, with the situation there, it wouldn't be wise to attend the conference. But they also knew, they couldn't stop her.

After all, once set, nobody could change the mind of one and only Videl Satan.

ooooooo_

 **TWO DAYS LATER, ROYAL ARENA, CENTRAL CITY**

The Royal Arena - the biggest non-residential and sports building, in the entire world. Having a population capacity of 200,000 people, and standing at a height of 65 metres, it was a sight to see. It was built, to effectively serve many purposes. The major one was, obviously, sports. It was built for every single sport, whether it were water based sports, motor racing or athletic. It also served to the needs of schools, colleges and universities. Whether, it was some cultural event or any educational conference, the purpose was well served. And, out of many other purposes, one was the ongoing. The conference called by King Furry, to reveal the mysteries which were the cause of the surge in social unrest. And, to attend it people, from all the corners of the world, had arrived. Children, young people and old, or men and women, everyone was present. It wasn't surprising as people, desperately, wanted to know why did Hercule Satan lie to them, played with their emotions and feelings, and what would be the consequences for him?

"Finally, the truth would come to light. God knows, how difficult the last seven years have been", spoke an old man, who was very enthusiastic about this conference, as evident from his tone.

"Yeah, that fraud fooled the world for seven years and now, at last, the world will see the truth, especially the younger generation. Despite their higher studies and all this technology, they couldn't see the truth, and neither they were willing to listen to us".

The two old men had witnessed the previous fights at WMAT, even before Son Goku's debut. They had seen and experienced the usage of KI, though limited, it was an out of world experience. And, when Son Goku debuted, a new era of martial arts began and these men were the witnesses to that. So, when Mr. Satan began calling KI as tricks, and tricks users as cheaters and frauds, they were utterly disappointed. They tried to shift the paradigm of their families, but it was futile. So, it was natural, when they heard of the Gold fighter event and later, the conference, they weren't going to miss it, for anything.

It was then, three bells chimed, in a row. The entire arena went silent, as they knew what it indicated. A few seconds later, there was the royal entry. Bandmaster led the Royal guards. And, in the exact centre, was the King of the world. A few calculated and graceful steps later, the King was standing at the podium. The audience was totally silent, by then.

"Greetings everyone. First of all, I would like to welcome, you all, to Royal Arena. Also, please accept my gratitude for answering my call, in such a short time. It shows your immense love and support for me".

There was a loud applause, along with shouts like 'long live the King', or simply, 'King Furry'. It was quite pleasing as well as amazing, that despite the unpleasant past week and the conversation in hand, people could still manage to cheer and raise their spirits.

King Furry continued, "As I stated earlier, in the broadcast, the past week was a rush. Two grave accidents were prevented by those gallant Gold Fighters. But it also revealed some mysteries which were carefully concealed within a web of lies. Now, I won't waste any time in repeating the mysteries and lies that were the part of a worldwide conspiracy. We all know that. Instead, I will directly proceed with answers and I hope that your curiosity and most of the queries are satisfied. So, to begin with, I would like to tell you that those abilities are real. They are not tricks. They are a careful manipulation of KI. Yes, the official term is KI. It is the foundation, which powers those attacks and flying, out of many other uses. A more understandable term for KI would be life force.The energy which powers your body, your very being. It is as necessary, for your body, as breathing. However its usage is not as natural. You don't possess the ability to control it from birth. You have to learn it like reading and writing. And, once learned, obviously, you step into a whole new world. Strength, speed and ability to use KI as a shield as well as sword, becomes yours, to use".

King Furry halted, took a breath, and then continued, "now, there is a lot of information regarding KI and if I continued explaining it, it would take the entire day. Therefore, I would like to conclude the explanation here, but don't worry you will, surely, get a detailed explanation of KI and its abilities, later on".

Now, the people were satisfied. When King Furry finished his explanation of KI, which was clearly limited, people weren't content. They wanted to know more. But with last words of their King, the confusion and unrest settled. However, there were still many questions and next major one was, How Mr. Satan would be dealt with and his words on this? But King Furry's next words, were their answer.

"Moving onto the next issue, which is Hercule Satan - The man who started this conspiracy. It were his claims and your blind acceptance, that led to the creation of this web of lies. But why did he do this? The most obvious answer would be for money and status. But, that isn't right. As a matter of fact, he had only expected a slight rise, in fame and status. The real reason, why he did this, was Jealousy". There was a not so subtle gasp by the audience. It was difficult to believe. But jealousy at what?

"Indeed, it is quite shocking. When I first read his life history, I, myself, couldn't believe it. But this is the very nature of us. Trivial things like jealousy, revenge drive us, towards our goals, instead of willpower and determination. It was the same with him. He wanted to achieve luxurious lifestyle, and martial arts, even then, was, the most profitable activity. So, he tried his luck there. But jealousy stemmed when Son Goku, became the finalist and later on, the winner of WMAT. Hercule couldn't bear this fact that a kid, five years younger than him, was able to achieve what he could only dream while training. Later, his non ability to use KI, not that he tried to learn, made him despise the KI fighters, more. But, when he achieved the necessary status, to be able to make a say, in the matters governing the world, he, needless to say, capitalised that. He started despising KI and its users and you people followed". At this point, the understanding, why Mr. Satan did this, was clear but the confusion was also apparent. Confusion about, as if King Furry was blaming them, too. Which, he surely was, as evident from his next words.

"I can see the confusion on your faces, that why, I am blaming you. The reason is, you all, save a few, are equally responsible, in escalating this mess. Your share might not be much, but responsibility is responsibility. When Mr. Satan claimed the victory, you blindly followed, completely disregarding the footage that, was and is, still available. Though, it was only the first half of the entire Cell games, the facts were, still, as clear as a mirror. To list a few, Hercule arrived by a car whereas those fighters, literally, flew to the location. Hercule's attacks were completely ignored by Cell, whereas Cell, actively fought against those warriors. And, nobody can trip over his feet, for a hundred metres. These facts, alone, would have been enough, to at least, second guess your decisions and beliefs, but no, your decisions became too hard set, that not even my words, back then, could change your minds. I couldn't try more earnestly, as there were grave chances of civil war. But as the saying goes, It's never too late. We can still salvage this situation. In fact, the salvation has already begun. As we are attending this conference, Hercule Satan is being prepared for a trial, while under arrest. Yes, he was arrested two days ago, when he confessed his wrong doings. His accounts have been audited and his total worth, surprisingly but not unexpectedly, comes to 40 billion zennis. Unfortunately, though, despite making it all from lies and manipulations, we could only confiscate 40 percent of the total worth. It was the amount, he received as gifts from mayors or other state officials, either in cash or kind. The rest was, through many contracts, completely legal, with corporations, fitness dojos or selling his products. His current mansion was also confiscated. But, as stated earlier, he would have to go through a trial, as it's his right as a citizen, worthy or not".

There was a palpable aura of grimness in the arena. People could do nothing but believe the words of their King. Though, going through a glut of emotions, they could see the truth in his words. If, and only if, they were a bit more careful, this could have been avoided. Despite their advancement in science and knowledge, they couldn't see the truth. The problem, which could have been nipped in the bud, escalated to such epic proportions, and for a major part, they were at fault. The only good thing was, that Hercule Satan would get, what he deserved. Their musings were halted when King spoke about the miracle, after Cell Games.

"The next issue is how the dead got resurrected. Though Hercules claimed, that it, also, was a sort of trick. But I would refute his claims, as the dead were really resurrected. My Royal Air Force is the proof of that. The airplanes, were completely wiped away. Even the metal of the planes was vaporised, so we can only imagine the fate of the pilots. But the question is how is resurrection possible? The reason is Gods or Kais. Yes, there are certain beings who preside not only, over our world but also the entire cosmos. Despite how far fetched it seems, it is a fact. These beings, have a rule, that those who die, unnaturally, would be resurrected".

But before people could react to this, a loud blop was heard. Everyone turned in the direction of sound and they could see, a big screen, apparently connected to a bigger than normal drone, was being focused and refocused, no doubt the work of the drone. A few moments passed and then several dots appeared on the screen.

"It's about time, they arrive".

People turned towards King Furry, as he was the speaker of these words. And, King Furry, after getting their attention, elaborated, "the dots, you see on the screen, are the gold fighters and their group". There was a loud gasp and people, immediately, turned towards the screen, uncaring whether, their King was speaking or not.

Now, the dots had shifted to lights. Everyone could clearly make that there were two golden lights and four white. No later, the visage of all the fighters, was clearly visible. It was the same group from Cell Games.

The group of warriors reached the arena and landed on the platform, amongst pin drop silence. It was expected, of course, as you didn't get to see people, who only exist in mangas and TV shows, standing directly in front of you. The people were broken from their trance, when King Furry spoke.

"Please welcome, the brave fighters who have saved our world countless times. The true heroes, of Cell Games". There was a slight applause, as people were still gawking at the fighters. Not at all minding this, King continued, "yes, I have arranged for them to visit here. After all, they are the true heroes yet victims as well, since they suffered equally as you, if not more, from the conspiracy. Moreover, today's conference, or a major part of it, revolves around them. So, it was only befitting, that they should also add their words. Though, I didn't tell you about this earlier because they are here for a very short visit. So, to save them, time as well as the repetition of questions, I took the liberty to share the basic information with you. Now, without further waiting, I would like to invite the young man, standing in front of the group, to come forward and address the people".

After getting nods from other fighters in the group, Gohan stepped forward. Of course people didn't know it. To them, the warrior who saved King Furry, walked and took his place at podium. The people waited, holdings their breaths, for this warrior of legend, to speak. They didn't want to make him angry, as they were sure that this warrior wouldn't tolerate any nuisance, thus completely forgetting the words of King Furry, about the humility of the warrior. But their beliefs were shattered, when the warrior addressed them.

"Uh.. hey, I am Bardock. Yeah, that's my name and it runs in the family". Now, the people were surprised, slightly at the name, but mostly at the way the boy spoke. The tone wasn't monotonous or gruff, like they had expected, instead, cheerful with nervousness, barely concealed. Though the tone of the voice, surely did its job. The serious and grim atmosphere, washed away. As expected from a Son, do the right thing without knowing it.

Gohan continued, "Now.. uh.. before coming here, I was listening to His Majesty's speech. He gave a basic knowledge about different things. I would like to thank him for that, as this lightens my job. Now, I would..um.. speak in the same order. So, first is KI. His Majesty gave you the basic knowledge of what is KI and how it works. So, I would continue with its accessibility and usage. Now, one needs to be extremely efficient in physical aspects of his body, to develop sufficient reserves of KI. That's why most KI users begin training at younger age. I, myself, started when I was four. Yes, it's a bit shocking, but having a KI user as your father, makes that happen. But that's not the end of it. Physical fitness surely develops KI but doesn't open its access. For that, you need another, equally important, component - your mind. Your mind, is what helps you to connect with your KI reserves. And unfortunately, it's what most people fail to attend to. After all, hours of meditation isn't what most people have the patience for".

The people were silent, obviously digesting the facts, presented to them. They were shocked at the boy's proclamation of starting the training at four. But quickly chalked it up to, his family background, as he explained later, and the secret to his strength, which enticed them about learning it. Their hopes were established more firmly, with next words of the boy.

"I believe many of you want to learn it and I totally support that. But, as stated earlier, only those who are physically as well as mentally good, would most likely succeed. My friends Tien, Yamcha and Krillin would be the ones leading this endeavour. They would satisfy your queries, later on today. Now if anyone has any questions, they can ask".

Before anyone could even comprehend the words of Gohan, a lone girl had stood up and shouted her question, and amongst the silence, it wasn't difficult to hear it.

"Would we be able, to get the golden form, like you"?

The girl was Videl Satan. Of course Gohan knew her. She was as famous as her father. And, even if he didn't know her before, he sure came to, in the past week. The girl definitely had guts, as evident from the fact, that she was standing here, despite knowing the agenda of this conference. Moreover, the looks, the people around, were giving her, weren't even bothering her. She was confident, though her visage was grim. However, Gohan knew that even the most confident ones, succumb to the pressure, of the society. And, the reactions of the people were a huge indication, that their attitude towards her, wasn't going to change. Meaning, this couldn't be allowed to happen. Deciding that, he would, later, make the situation as favourable as possible, for her, he replied, "No, this golden form, as you put it, is currently limited, only, to the two of us, standing here. The reason is, it's the blessing of the Kais. Though, His Majesty told you about the existence of the Kais, but due to our arrival, he wasn't able to share the fact that Kais can't interfere directly in the matters of Cosmos. Some rule amongst them, I don't know about. But, they can choose proxies and if necessary, train them. This happened with us. My father was the first proxy. I became one, just before Cell Games, as Kais were impressed by my efforts. It was also the case, with other two". Gohan finished, for now. He had already discussed and prepared the answers for many questions that could be asked. He wasn't allowed to rest, though, as another question followed, from a mid age man, apparently a reporter.

"You mentioned your father. Why isn't he with you? And where is the other fighter? You were four in total".

Gohan didn't allow the emotions to come to his face, but they were clear in his eyes. Thankfully, the people here, were not as avid as them, in reading the emotions. Even now, he couldn't forget the past. But steeling himself, he managed to reply, "The fourth fighter is on a mission, tasked to him, by the Kais. Regarding my father, well, he…. is dead. ... And, No, he didn't die from a natural cause but fighting with Cell. Cell was about to self destruct himself, and consequently the planet, because he was on the verge of defeat. My father couldn't allow this to happen. So, using a technique, known only to him, he teleported Cell, away from Earth. But unfortunately, the planet, he teleported to, belonged to a Kai, which was, imminently, destroyed. My father, received a punishment for that, for unknown number of years". If anyone wanted to ask more questions, they stopped themselves, because the atmosphere turned gloomy, after the words of the boy. They, surely, didn't want to reopen any wound of the past.

A few seconds of eerie silence enveloped the Arena. It was broken, only, when Gohan inhaled, which was heard clearly around the stadium. People once again became attentive, as the face expression of Gohan indicated he was about to speak, again.

"I would like to move on to the next issue and wanted it to be something exciting but unfortunately,... it is as grave as the previous one, if not more. The issue of Hercule Satan. God knows, how exhausting it is, to talk about him. The man didn't even spare a single way, for his escape from this mess, he caused. Lies, manipulations, underhanded tactics, you just name it, everything was used. Seven years… for seven years, he continue to fool, you all. And, I know, His Majesty also holds you responsible for that, but I don't".

The people were surprised by his words. They were expecting anything from disappointment to outright criticism, for calling these fighters as tricksters and cheaters, but not certainly this. The teenager was simply absolving them from everything, they had done.

"I can see the confusion on your faces that why, I am not blaming you. Although it is true, you have called us, tricksters and frauds, for the last seven years - a long period, but you can't be held responsible, solely for that. The major factor is Mr. Satan. He started all this and it was only natural, that you followed him. Even now, I could clearly remember those ten days. How terror, from that creature, gripped the entire planet and continue to increase, as the days spent. And, on that fateful day, hope…..was just a word, as the live footage broadcasted that none of us, was a match, for Cell. It, also, isn't your fault that the footage was disconnected, in mid. So, you couldn't be blamed, for following the words of the first person, who, not only, was present there but also gave you hope and relief from terror, by claiming the victory over Cell. In fact, we too, are, more or less, equally responsible as you. If only we had told the truth, this wouldn't have escalat…", but he was interrupted when a young man, shouted at the top of his lungs.

"DAMN RIGHT, IT IS ONLY YOUR FAULT. IF YOU HAD TOLD THE TRUTH, ALL OF THIS COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED".

Gohan, visibly recoiled at that. He hadn't expected this. He believed that by taking the blame on him, he would, atleast, relieve the people from their mental turmoil. But this… this wasn't good. His last thoughts were only substantiated when a few more people followed, most of them of young generation.

"YOU ARE NO HEROES. A HERO DOESN'T HOLD THE TRUTH".

"WE WASTED SEVEN YEARS OF OUR MONEY AND TRUST ON THAT FRAUD. AND YOU ARE EQUALLY RESPONSIBLE AS HIM".

Videl was getting seriously unnerved by this. The situation was getting out of hand and, it could soon turn upon her. Gohan and other persons on the platform were same, sans Vegeta, of course. It was then, when next words were spoken, a heavy pressure settled in the Arena.

"HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GAINED FROM THIS? IS IT IN MILLIONS OR MORE? NOBODY COULD SIMPLY BRUSH AWAY SEVEN YEARS OF INSULTS LIKE THIS. YOU HAV….." the person halted and fell to his knees, unable to breathe let alone speak. This was followed by everyone in the arena, except the ones on platform. Videl too, was on her knees, but holding better than others. Forcing her neck, a bit upwards, she managed to see, that the other Gold fighter, who had, since their arrival, been previously looking up, was now glaring with full force and it was the scariest thing she had ever seen. She was sure he was the cause of this, and barely a second later, her thoughts were confirmed, when he spoke, in a gruff and raised voice, but not before lowering down the pressure though, only enough, to breathe.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU UNGRATEFUL FOOLS SPROUTING SHIT FROM YOUR MOUTHS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW A DAMN THING. THIS BRAT, LOST HIS FATHER THAT DAY AND HE BLAMES HIMSELF, EVEN TODAY FOR NOT STRONG ENOUGH, DESPITE KNOWING THAT HE WAS A KID - A FUCKING ELEVEN YEAR OLD KID. THE KIDS HIS AGE CRY FOR EVERY LITTLE THING, BUT HE WAS FIGHTING WITH THAT MONSTER AND WHERE WERE YOU, HA? EVEN THAT BUFFOON SATAN WAS THERE. THE BRAT TOLD YOU, HE HAD BEEN TRAINING SINCE HE WAS FOUR BUT HE DIDN'T TELL WHY? BUT I WILL. HE WAS TRAINING, TO FIGHT AN ALIEN WHO CAME TO THIS PLANET. AND DO YOU KNOW HOW AND WHERE HE TRAINED? ALONE IN THE WILDERNESS, FOR A FUCKING YEAR. AT THE AGE OF FIVE, HE FOUGHT AN INTERGALACTIC TYRANT WHO COULD DESTROY PLANETS WITH A FLICK OF HIS WRIST AND DESPITE KNOWING THAT HE STOOD UP TO HIM. THE RESULT WAS HIS NECK BROKEN AND TWISTED. THEN IT WAS ANDROIDS AND THEN CELL. HE HAS BEEN PUTTING HIS LIFE ON LINE FOR YOU AND YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS ARE BLAMING HIM? IT ISN'T HIS DAMN FAULT IF YOU WERE SO DEEPLY STUCK UP IN THAT BUFFOON'S ASS, THAT YOU COULDN'T HEAR OR SEE ANYTHING. AND, I AM DONE WITH THIS CONFERENCE. I HAVE WASTED ENOUGH TIME ON THESE IDIOTS". With this, the Prince of Saiyans shot like a rocket to the sky, releasing a shockwave that could have destroyed the Arena, if Piccolo hadn't erected a KI barrier around the platform.

It took a few minutes, before people were able to fully digest the words of Vegeta. There wasn't any need to confirm the authenticity of those words as the tone and emotions were sufficient. But this paved the way for guilt and misery. Every single person, save a very few, was feeling them. As, vocal or not, they had shared the same thoughts and feelings. Though, they realised, it was the self loathing and frustration for getting fooled for seven years, and when Bardock, took the blame, they unleashed their anger on him, to get even a sliver of relief. Such is our nature. So, when they turned toward the remaining Gold fighter, their expressions were miserable and apologetic. And, obviously Gohan saw that.

Though, Vegeta's words were not put in a right manner, but they definitely did the work. He didn't need to sense as he could clearly see that the rage and frustration had simply vanished. But now he needed to absolve them from their misery and self loathing.

"Uh…. Sorry for that. He has always been a bit hotheaded, and it couldn't be helped as it's his very nature. But don't worry about that. You don't need to blame yourself for anything. It's in the past". Here Gohan gave some time to the people, to deal with their thoughts. The people, though surprised by his ability to look past their actions, were not the ones to look a gift horse in mouth. They were relieved, he wasn't angry or disappointed.

But unknown to Gohan, he was watched by King Furry, who couldn't believe the words of Vegeta. Gohan had told him that he was training since four years, but not, what Vegeta said. It was unreal. To think that, this boy, had seen so much and despite that, he continued to be a lot better than many others, on this planet. Truly, the legacy of Son Goku was amazing. And, even, after knowing what this boy had to suffer, if he didn't express his gratitude, he wouldn't be worthy of a King. So he spoke, getting the attention of everyone, "Young man, you are truly an amazing person. You all are. Despite everything that you have seen and lived through, you still manage to be in great spirits. I commend you all for that. You all have my endless gratitude for your efforts". He finished by bowing, the people following the suit.

Gohan only chuckled nervously, while rubbing his head - an expression quite loved by all the ladies. Few seconds later he spoke again, "Now, I believe most of the queries have been answered and anything left, will be answered by my friends. God knows, I am exhausted. But before giving the stage to my friends, I would like to add a few parting words. I don't need to ask how you feel about Mr. Satan. No doubt, he deserves every bit of that. But I, firmly, believe in my father's policies. And one of them is, everyone deserves a second chance. And following that, I urge the state, to reconsider about Mr. Satan's punishment. I am sure, he must have learnt his lesson. However, I know I am not above law. So, whatever the court will decide, I would totally respect it. But, there is another fact. In our world, it's a cruel reality that the consequences, of whatever the parents does, surely reach the children. In this instance, I can see what the consequences of Mr. Satan's action would be, for his only daughter - Videl. The blatant distrust and in some cases outright hate is apparent, as I can see on your faces. But you need to understand that she is, as much victim, in this, as we are. I assure you, she didn't know about anything. His Majesty can vouch for that. So, it's only fair, that she doesn't get an unjust treatment for her father's actions. And even if, you don't want to listen to my reasoning, don't worry, I am totally content with that. After all, her actions speak louder than my words. We all know, how many times she has saved the residents of Satan City, how many times she has acted as a shield against gun wielding thugs, how many times she has jumped into buildings on fire. And, these are only a few deeds out of many. You shouldn't forget that. But I also know that despite this, there would still be distrust and wariness, towards her. That is our very nature, after all. But I ask you to give her a chance that she rightfully deserves, and I am sure, in no time, she would change your opinions. Thank you all". With this Gohan stepped away and Krillin and later, Yamcha stepped up and explained about the new dojo line they would open. Apparently, the interested people would have to apply through a form. Then they would be, literally sensed by the Krillin, Yamcha or Tien, if they are worthy for the training. Yes, Krillin also told about the KI sensing ability. Few other questions were asked, mostly about their space adventures, aliens, which were satisfactorily answered. Though, during all of this nobody asked about Piccolo. The reason was, people were already used to living with talking animals, so they also assumed Piccolo, as one.

Two hours later, after Vegeta left, the conference was concluded. People were in better spirits than before but mostly, they were satisfied, with their queries answered. But none was more than Videl Satan, who had a genuine smile on her face, for the first time, in a week. When she had arrived here in the arena, she was a lot wary of the people around her, as they were giving her a wide berth with disappointment clear in their eyes. She knew, the only thing, preventing them, from taking any action was the military and the police. And, before that other gold fighter's outburst, when people had started blaming the group, she was a nervous wreck and had started to second guess her decision of coming here. But now, she was totally satisfied with her decision. After all, she got to know the answer to most of her queries. Although she was clearly disappointed in her father, for everything that he had done but, she had decided to follow the path of Bardock. As, if he was willing to give her father a second chance, despite everything, she, also, could and moreover, when she was his daughter. But her thoughts were mainly focused on KI. She was sure that she could and would learn KI, in no time and would repay the favour by helping the group, in their battles, especially that Bardock. She was excited about that and also, meeting Bardock in person, as soon as possible. As she knew, there was a lot more to it, than revealed.

Her enthusiasm was also shared by Sharpener and Erasa.

oooooooooooooo_

"Greetings people, I, Rose, welcome you all to National TV's exclusive - Revelations. This is a brand new show, which will air every sunday at 7pm sharp, to discuss the events that transpired today. There will be a new guest, making an appearance, in every show. We will work together to answer your queries and beliefs. And, joining us today is Mr. Max, the former as well as newly reinstated WMAT announcer. For those who don't know, Mr. Max has always been a keen supporter of KI. Even when Hercule Satan labelled it as a trick, he was the first to protest against him. Of course, he suffered the consequences and was removed from WMAT as well as his job of a reporter from the, then ZTv. Let us hear his words on this. Hello Mr. Max, First of all, I welcome you, to the show and also thank you, for taking out the precious time from your schedule, for this show".

"Hello, Miss Rose, I really appreciate all of this but you don't have to label it as, if I am a reporter of some rival channel".

"Hahaha, forgive me for that, I couldn't help it and for those who don't know it, It is true that Mr. Max has been working for National Tv, for three years. Now, Mr. Max, you have always supported KI and its users, care to explain why"?

"I have always been close to the world of KI. Being the son of a WMAT organiser, I always had the free access to the tournaments. And, KI users, being very rare, were a welcomed sight to see. Later I joined ZTv as a reporter and was also given the job of announcer in WMAT. If earlier, watching the WMAT as an audience, was a great experience, now as the announcer, it was an out of world. It was then, Goku and Krillin debuted and marked the beginning of a new era. After that, KI users started popping out of nowhere and being very close to them, I could literally feel the energy, same way as we felt today. The only difference is that, today's was on magnificent levels. So, when Hercule labelled KI as tricks, I was bound to protest".

Rose nodded in affirmation and then voiced, "You mentioned Son Goku. Do you know why he wasn't there today, while Krillin and others were"?

Max sighed, "I do in fact. The reason Son Goku wasn't there, is because he is no more among us. Yes, he died before Cell Games, due to natural reasons, meaning he couldn't be resurrected. A great loss, to the world of Martial Arts".

"Indeed it's a very tragic news. We pray for his soul". There was silence of few seconds, before the reporter continued, "now, if you don't mind, we would like to carry on".

"Sure Sure".

"Thank you. So what do you think of the group of fighters today and the consequences"?

"Well, I firmly believe that they are an asset to our planet. The conference today revealed, we are not alone and it is already established that most of us aren't strong enough to stand up to these threats let alone defeat them. So, these warriors are our necessary sword and shield. And, regarding the consequences, I can only say one thing. Today marked the dawn of a new era".

ooooooo_

Please Support and Review. I tried to add many details and facts as possible, but if somehow, some are missing, do tell me. I would surely try to incorporate them into next chapters. God know, this was exhausting.

Now, a question. As I stated in the beginning, the pairing would most likely be Videl and Gohan. However, recently, I am becoming more inclined towards something else. You see, in my other story - A Saiyan in Shinobi Lands, I mentioned about Eastern Empire and that, it would be an arc in this story. Now, I want to make Gohan, a love interest for the princess of Eastern Empire. I have planned it all out and it would also alter the fact of Saiyans getting weaker with every generation. And, for this, they would leave the planet, permanently.

So tell me, what do you think of it? Oh, and Next chapter, Gohan goes to school.

.


	5. School Adventures - I

**Disclaimer** :- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products.

Thanks to all who supported. If anybody has any ideas regarding the story, they are welcome to provide.

 **Note:** Due to a glitch in FFN, I was forced to delete and re-upload chapters 5 to 9. I apologize for the inconvenience.

-ooooooooo-

"Bye mom", shouting this, the eighteen-year-old demi Saiyan levitated up to few metres and then blasted away while being careful enough not to cause any harm to the surroundings. His destination – Orange Star High School.

Flying over the edges of Mount Paozu, he couldn't help but think how did he got roped into this situation. Of course, he didn't want to go to school, not when he was already miles ahead of his would be fellow classmates. But the factor influencing most of his decisions - his mom wanted him to.

If it were a few years earlier, she would have just stated her desires followed by tilting her head towards either of her shoulders, with the nose pointed high. Though her body language wouldn't have affected his decisions, the frying pan in her left hand sure had.

However, in the past seven years, after his father died and Goten was born, she had changed. Of course, Piccolo's …ah somewhat heated argument with her, which had happened a few days after the Cell Games, when she had denied Piccolo's notion of training him, was the reason.

He knew his mentor was already fed up with her obsessive ideas and it wasn't surprising when he fired back, stating that if she had allowed them to train him properly when they were preparing for androids, he would have had a better grasp of his power and Goku would have lived.

And, that if she wanted him to follow a different path then why had she married to Goku in the first place, knowing very well that he would not change his mannerisms and obviously, any child born of them would definitely try to follow the footsteps of both the parents.

The words were surely harsh but they had hit on the right spot. He knew Piccolo was right and therefore, hadn't interfered. She mellowed down greatly after that, though the shift happened over a span of a few days.

Goten's upbringing was a definite proof of that if his training with Vegeta of all wasn't. Still, she couldn't be called totally above and beyond influencing his decisions. Him going to school was proof of that.

He wasn't too supportive of the idea despite knowing very well what the outcome would be. He gave his arguments that he already knew what they would be teaching in the school, how he wouldn't get time for training as peace never lasted forever and lastly, that there would always be a risk of people recognizing him as Bardock.

But she proved that she wasn't the Ox princess for nothing, by presenting her points in such a manner that no place remained for any argument. She had stated that not every person was as cunning as King Furry so he could safely use his Super Saiyan form while being careful enough of not allowing people to invade his personal space.

Then, that he was training for the last two years which definitely counted for something and he would always be able to use a couple of hours daily and if that wasn't enough, the newly modified time chamber which allowed the users to train twice every year would surely make up for the shortcomings, if any.

Though he clearly understood where his mom was coming from with these two reasons but it was the last one which sealed his fate. Her admitting that she wasn't sending him to school for education purpose but for making friends of his own age.

She has been asking him to make friends of his age for the last five years. Although, he wasn't all successful in comprehending why friends, only of his age, mattered as he clearly had the entire gang. But after he met Lime and spent some time with her, he started realizing the importance. Generation gap and fun time with peers was something else. The persons of your age understood you better. It was the reason he missed Lime now, who had moved to the south city last year.

Crossing sector thirty-two which was mostly a semi-industrial area, he could see a small canopy of forests at the skyline, which marked the beginning of the territory of the sector seventeen in which his school was located. Still, it was at a fair distance of about 500 miles. This small forest area was one of the few locations used by tourists in sector 17.

As he was flying, he saw a blimp floating below him which immediately caught his interest as the bird's eye view of the landscape had become a daily affair, so he was always looking for something new. Focusing on it he saw that it was an advertising blimp, with the advertisement displayed on both sides, which read - '60th ANNUAL FAIR - ORANGE STAR CITY'. No later, the memories of everything that had happened in the last six months flashed in his mind. The reason was the mention of the newly renamed Orange Star city.

Initially, he along with others had feared that the masses won't stay passive, and there would be a definite rise in social unrest but when nothing major had happened in the entire month, they had relaxed. Some minor protests had happened here and there but they were taken care of, by the officials. Though, the public had made a couple of demands.

He was really surprised when the mayor of the then-called Satan city, had announced on tv to change the name of the city to Bardock city. Of course, he didn't want that. So he had asked Dende's help without realising that the latter could be a bit more exertive. He had realised his blunder only when Dende had informed the mayor and the others by writing the message followed by his name in the clouds, literally. He had a hard time believing that, even now. Though the purpose was served an...

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Quickly he looked down only to realise that he had reached the outskirts of the 14th division of sector 17. He couldn't help but shake his head in slight dismay while descending, as his mullings were seriously getting out of control. This was the reason, he had set an alert in his Cc watch.

Landing in an empty alleyway and after checking around, he dashed towards his school which was a couple of miles away from there. He hadn't landed around his school as he didn't want anybody sighting him. No later, he was standing in front of the school.

Taking a moment, he scanned the front of the peach coloured building, just to sate his sudden curiosity, before entering it. A few seconds of ambling through the corridors described in the guide map published on his lecture schedule, he arrived at the door to his classroom, which was open.

Taking and then releasing a long breath, he entered the room only to become a subject to many stares which slightly stimulated his nervousness. However, immediately he remembered the trick taught to him by Bulma and employing that he lowered his gaze and quickly ascended the stairs and took an empty seat in the last row. Relief, akin to that of defeating a foe, flooded his being and his nerves began relaxing. He became sure that his first day would be spent in peace an…

"Hey, you joined today?"

...or not. He slowly turned his gaze towards his left, from where he had registered the female voice, only to come face to face with a blond, seemingly cheerful and cute looking girl. A quick and discreet glance at her being, so as not to offend her, showed her clothes and nice figure. Mind it though, he wasn't a pervert but a teenager, and nobody could blame him for that. Looking back at her face, he saw the expectant look which made him realise that he had yet to answer.

"Uh...yeah, new student."

He had to blink twice when the girl's face lit up like a candle, apparently on hearing his answer. Though he didn't know why.

"Great. By the way, I am Erasa", she voiced while extending her hand which he shook out of simple courtesy before replying, "Nice to meet you, I am Gohan."

"Your parents must be very fond of rice."

"I am sure they are." The sarcasm in his words wasn't missed by her as evident from the humorous laugh that soon followed.

"Jokes aside, let me introduce you to my friends…", he followed her left hand which she had bent to point over her shoulder, towards the only remaining duo in the last row. Immediate next to her, was a boy, also blond and supporting good muscles. And, next to him was...Videl Satan? Yes, she was sitting in the same row as him and apparently be studying in the same class too. But how did he miss this information? He obviously knew that she lived in Orange star city but not about the same school, "... this is sharpener, and that is Videl."

He registered Erasa's words before uttering a hello to the duo. And, in return he received nods from both of them.

"So, where are you from?"

"439, East District, Mt. Paozu." He replied casually but hadn't expected the consequence.

"WHAT!", Erasa's sudden outburst caught the attention of everyone followed by them looking at her as if she had grown a second head. She quickly uttered a sorry before continuing in a low tone, "But that's like a thousand miles from here, commuting daily isn't possible from that far."

"She is right dude. So, either you are lying or you can fly."

"Both of you got it wrong. I said I am from Mt. Paozu but never said I live there."

"Is there any difference?" The words spoken by Sharpener had a slightly challenging tone.

"There is." He was about to reply when he heard the words of Videl, and out of sheer curiosity to know what she would say, he stopped and focused towards her. His partners in the conversation also followed.

"He said he comes from Mt. Paozu but it doesn't mean he lives there. He can live anywhere in the world but his place of origin would remain the same."

Hearing her simple yet elegant response definitely impressed him. He knew there wasn't any special deduction made by her but the way she explained, really intrigued him. And, the expressions of Erasa and Sharpener, told him that they too had understood the point. However, to prevent any questions in the future, he decided to end the issue there only.

"She is right, for studying purposes I am living in a rented house at the outskirts of the city."

Both of them nodded towards him before Erasa decided to ask another question, but she had barely opened her mouth when the sound of door opening reverberated through the room. Turning towards the door, he saw a middle aged woman enter the room before shutting the door. A few brisk steps later, she was standing at the podium. He followed when the entire class stood up to greet her, and after she returned their greetings while gesturing them to sit down, he once again followed the suit.

"She is Mrs. Bourbon, our English teacher."

He heard Erasa's hushed voice and nodded towards her before deciding to focus on the teacher to see what she would teach them.

"Now students, before we begin, I would like to introduce a new student who has joined today. Mr. Gohan, please stand up" – he obeyed as asked – "Mr. Gohan here secured a total hundred on his entrance test, an unprecedented fact. I am sure you all can learn a lot from him. And, Mr. Gohan, if you need any assistance, you can always ask us."

Thanking her, he sat down and began listening to the teacher but a few seconds later he diverted his attention from her as there was no need to learn the comprehensive once again when he had already done it years ago.

-ooooooooo-

Looking towards the clock, he saw that a quarter of an hour was still there before the lecture will end. He couldn't help but sigh in dismay as this lecture was boring. He was seriously regretting his decision of joining the school but he…

"EARTHQUAKE!"

He barely registered the word before a crashing sound was heard from his right. Quickly, he turned in the direction only to see a strange sight. There was a hole the size of a basketball, in the right wall. The others had also turned towards it but before the unusual sight could be comprehended, someone shouted.

"Hey, the earthquake stopped." The words managed to shift the attention of everyone, including him, and they had only begun to inspect the surroundings when their teacher shouted.

"Students, let's get to cover while the tremors have stopped."

The advising words of the teacher were heard by the entire class followed by them rushing out of the room. He and his new associates also followed the rest.

A few seconds of striding later, they were standing in the ground area adjacent to their classroom. The students had formed small groups of their friends and were conversing among themselves. He was standing to the left of Erasa and flanking her right side were Sharpener and Videl, thus forming their own small group. He didn't know why he had decided to follow the trio of friends when they hadn't even asked him. Though they hadn't denied him either, so he chalked it up to his gut feeling.

"How could an earthquake occur here? It is totally unbelievable."

"Uhh...Erasa, I believe natural events like earthquake can happen anywhere."

"Not here, dude."

"Huh...why?", he couldn't help but voice his confusion.

"Orange Star city is an earthquake free zone and haven't displayed any tendencies of becoming one in the foreseeable future".

Videl's words definitely sated his confusion but also invoked his embarrassment. After all, he was the one who secured a total hundred in the geography section of the entrance test and yet failed to perceive such a simple point. However, before the others could detect his embarrassment, the voice of the teacher once again drew their attention.

"Let's go, students, it is safe to enter the building now".

The students visibly groaned but obliged. He trailed behind the trio, obviously to dilute his discomfort, with his eyes fixated on the ground ahead him. As he was walking, he saw something familiar lying on the ground. Crouching, he picked it up while checking it.

"How did it get here?'' he muttered audibly.

"How did what get there?"

Hearing Erasa's voice, he looked up only to see the three of them standing around him and giving him questioning looks.

Realising that they must have stopped after seeing him like that, he replied, "My pen, and it was lying here". He raised the object to give a better view to the trio.

"It's a Capsule corporation made pen, isn't it?" Sharpener voiced after taking the pen in his hands and rotating it.

"Yeah, a family friend gave it to me as a gift for my eighteenth birthday", he said recalling the day when Bulma had called him to her house and gave the pen as a gift. He had thanked her for the gift but the confusion was apparent from his visage as in the end, it was just a pen. Seeing that Bulma had calmly explained the reason to him. Apparently his mother had called her and asked for some writing instrument which wouldn't break so easily in the hands of a demi-saiyan. And, Bulma had created this pen with a special alloy.

"Now that's something you don't see daily." Sharpener said while returning the pen to him.

"You sure you didn't drop it"?

Taking the pen from Sharpener, he answered Videl's question, "No, I remember having it in the beginning of the lecture".

"Hmmm...it only means one thing, your pen can use KI and flew here".

"Cut it Sharpy, and Gohan, you can look into it later, the next lecture is about to begin".

Taking a last glance at his pen before pocketing it, he nodded towards Erasa while standing up and was about to follow when he caught sight of that strange hole in the wall of their classroom. No later, his eyes snapped open as his mind connected the dots.

 _'Damn...I did it again_ ' he mused while following the trio as he didn't want to induce their suspicion by stopping again, not when he already knew what had happened.

He remembered having the pen in the beginning of the lecture as he had used it to tick the first lecture in the time table before repeatedly tapping it on his right temple. A few seconds later, he had begun shaking his leg which apparently caused the earthquake leading to somebody shouting about it, which had jolted him out of his daydreaming, and it must be during that time, he would have hurled his pen away and through the wall due to his strength and the material used in it.

He was sure about this, as it had happened before, the only difference being Goten who had shouted his name when his leg shaking had caused tremors in their house. His mom had admonished him for displaying careless tendencies followed by a pan to his head.

"Hurry up Gohan".

Erasa's voice, once again, brought him out of his musings, and after deciding to look into his problem, he hastened after them.

-ooooooooo-

He breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang indicating the end of the ongoing lecture and the beginning of the lunch period. Dende knew how much suffering he had to endure since morning. These lectures were boring, and him knowing everything that was taught, only made it worse.

Standing from his seat, a bit too excitedly, he joined the trio of friends who were waiting for him at the door. This time they had invited him to lunch, establishing his belief that they had begun to consider him a friend. Soon they were ambling towards the cafeteria and as expected by him, Erasa was the one to spearhead the conversation.

"So Gohan, how's the daily life in Mt. Paozu?"

He didn't have to think about the answer as the words came out of his mouth on their own, "It is wonderful. The entire area is quite beautiful, calm and serene. The first thing that greets you in the morning is vivid greenery. It immediately refreshens you. A dip in the lake nearby, instantly alleviates any stiffness as well as drowsiness. Even after spending the entire day in the area, you just can't get enough of it. The scenery is only highlighted at night when moonlight embraces it, and the cool breeze is only soothing". He finished and looked at them only to blink when he saw the expressions of awe and even amusement.

"... What?"

"Are you a poet, mountain boy?"

"No...where'd that come from?...and mountain boy?"

"The way you said that, seemed like a poet was talking". The words were laced with slight amusement.

"Uhh...I guess I can take that as a compliment, thanks Erasa"

"And, I called you mountain boy, since you come from there".

He was about to reply to this statement but Erasa waved her hands and succeeded in getting his attention, along with the other two.

"You know Gohan, your words have caught my interest, I would definitely visit Mt. Paozu. I hope that's okay with you?"

"Sure, just inform me in advance".

"Done".

Her excited reply made him chuckle and he couldn't help but voice, "You're acting as if it'd be your first time".

"Yeah, tell him E", Sharpener's words were followed by a short laughter, and even Videl cracked a smile at that.

"Huh?", he could only voice his confusion at that.

"Ignore him Gohan, he is an idiot, and yes, It would be my first time visiting Mt. Paozu."

He understood her point but why did she put an emphasis on the word visiting, was beyond his comprehension. Though, he didn't voice it.

"In fact, even Sharpy and V can tag along. I am sure they also haven't visited that area before".

"I have, Erasa, in fact a couple of times. Back when my father was here, we used to fly to the Ox kingdom for the annual ball. However, I have only flown over the area".

He was really surprised on hearing that. He didn't know that Videl used to come to the annual ball organised by his grandpa. Though, it wasn't like that he himself had attended any. He and his brother would spend the day exploring the vastly diverse nature of Mt. Paozu, while his mom would attend the party.

"But that was with your father, and this time it would be us. Both are different V".

"I will think about it".

Any further conversation was halted when they reached the cafeteria. Entering it, they easily found an empty table. Taking the seats, they opened their lunch boxes or a capsule in his case.

"You know, for a mountain boy, you are really loaded".

He understood what Sharpener was implying, first it was his pen and now a capsule tiffin. Arranging his food, he replied, "I believe it's due to living in the mountains only. We are able to get the basic items like meat, vegetables and other crops from our farms only. Gas is not needed as we use firewood. So, all that saving goes in purchasing these items. And, it isn't like that we don't have any friends in towns and cities. They occasionally bring some good gifts."

"Hmm...that seems plausible."

"Hey, this means it's fresh food, right, like straight outta farm type?"

"Indeed Erasa, you can have anything you like."

"Really…", reaching the square plate, she grabbed a grilled fish before trying it and immediately her face morphed into that of a delight and she exclaimed while looking towards him," That was the best fish I have ever had. I can't put words to express my delight. Really Gohan, thanks for sharing that".

"It's alright Erasa, you can have more, you guys too." He slightly shifted his big rectangular plate towards them, as an indication. And, soon he was eating and sharing his food with them.

Ten minutes later the food was finished but not his appetite. He wanted to eat more as he had only brought limited food so that he could mingle with normal humans. He knew it was necessary but it didn't mean he had to like it and…

"So, can you fly yet, Sharpener?"

He blinked at the sudden topic as well as at the fact that Videl had initiated a conversation. She was, after all, silent in most of the conversations while replying sporadically. However, he really wanted to hear this conversation as it was definitely interesting.

"Nah, but I am close, I can feel it. What about you? With Tien as your teacher, you should've been playing all birdie-birdie by now."

So, the rumors of Tien teaching the daughter of Hercule were true. Bulma and later Krillin had told him that Tien began to teach her when she had approached him a month after the showdown.

"The same as you. I can also feel my KI but can't manipulate it to fly, however Tien assured me a soon success."

"And, what about other abilities?"

"Why don't you tell me first what Krillin's teaching you?"

His eyes widened slightly hearing this new piece of information. He knew Krillin was planning to open his own school when the idea of a joint school with Tien, was dropped, but he didn't expect it so soon. After all, Krillin had stated that due to his family, taking out time to train the students was a bit difficult. It was also a reason when the idea of a joint school was dropped out.

"Hmmm...everything that can make me a master of the Turtle style." The words of Sharpener had a slightly cocky tone.

"Well two can play this game, I also know enough to be called a prodigy in the Crane style."

He was really impressed with the foresightedness employed by Tien and Krillin. He remembered when they had rejected the idea of joint school proposed by Master Roshi. Initially, he and others hadn't comprehended the reason behind that, but when Tien had explained that he wanted to reestablish a healthy rivalry between the students learning Crane style that he would teach, and students learning Turtle style that Krillin would teach, they all had understood the point. And, the scenario in front of him, was only substantiating that.

"Please tell me Gohan, at least you are normal unlike these KI fanatics".

"His skinny frame is your answer, Erasa."

He brushed aside Sharpener's words and was about to give a suitable reply to Erasa, when the ongoing breaking news caught his attention.

 _'...ext week marks the completion of six months since the Great Showdown happened. It was the day when the greatest fraud in history was revealed and…'_

"Uhh...should be go somewhere else?"

-ooooooooo-

"Uhh...should be go somewhere else?"

The words raised her intrigue. After all, it was definitely unprecedented, at least for her, that a complete stranger would care for her feelings when even her closest friends, save a few, had left her. Wasn't he affected by her father's schemes or did he simply not care at all? She couldn't understand this point, not since he appeared in their class in the morning. He hadn't displayed any wariness towards her when everyone else, save Sharpener, Erasa and a few teachers, had. He had conversed with her as if they were friends and even shared his food. And, now these words, obviously spoken for her, only supported his well-wishes for her. However, she won't accept him as a friend so easily. He could very well be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Moreover, she had practised the policy of selection even when she had a high status implying total safety, so selecting her friends now was simply natural, when most of the populace distrusted her.

Signalling Sharpener, using a code known only to the three of them, she indicated her desire.

"Why?"

"Huh."

There, he said it again. It wasn't possible for somebody to be so dense that he couldn't comprehend even the basic things. But she decided to reserve her opinions for now, while discreetly signalling to Erasa to keep quiet.

"You said we should go somewhere else, I ask why?"

"Umm…due to the stares."

"They are directed at her, why do they bother you?"

She saw he quieted hearing that, obviously to concoct a lie. A few seconds passed and yet he didn't answer, establishing her belief that her paranoia was well placed. Deciding the course of action, she began to speak…

"They should bother..."

But stopped when she heard his words, and decided to hear what he had to say.

"...not only to me but to everyone. She doesn't deserve it, not when she is completely innocent. We all know this treatment of her is due to her father who I admit was wrong, and he is paying for that in the prison, but she shouldn't be enduring this. Moreover, the royal court declared her as completely innocent in the petition alleging her to be a co-conspirator with her father. Even before that, Bardock as well as King Furry, personally vouched for her. And, even if we ignore that, we can not ignore her deeds. She has been working very hard for the safety and well being of the people of this city. All this points out that her mistreatment is completely unjust and needs to be stopped immediately."

Complete silence followed his words. She couldn't believe that a stranger would think so highly of her, but the words were definitely not lies, as the emotions and feelings could easily be felt. A quick glance to her right revealed that Sharpener and Erasa were the same.

"Gohan…" –getting his attention, she continued– "First of all, I apologise for giving you a sort of cold treatment, and don't deny it, I know that you know it too. But it's bound to happen when almost the entire world distrusts you. There is always a risk of someone taking advantage, and due to this, I have a very limited number of acquaintances and even more limited number of friends. So, you can't blame my surprise as well as suspicion that you, a total stranger, would support me. I couldn't accept that, not before hearing your reason."

Taking a breath, she continued, "But now, I can say that you are completely honest person, one who is very rare in this world, and I would be a fool for not having you as a friend. So, allow me to start it over. Hello Gohan, I am Videl Satan, and I hope we can become good friends." She finished while extending her right hand.

She nearly chuckled when he took a few seconds to process everything while focusing on her extended hand which he slowly grabbed with his left before gently shaking it while rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, an expression she found quite endearing.

"Now Gohan, I really appreciate your concerns, but I am not one of those who would run away from their problems. These stares don't bother me, not when I haven't done anything wrong. However, since this moment marks the beginning of our friendship which I definitely want to cherish, we can go somewhere else."

"There is no need for that."

Hearing a familiar yet unwelcomed voice made her frown. What the hell was she doing here? Turning towards the speaker of the words, she immediately voiced her thoughts, "What do you want Angela?"

"I...I j-just want to say...sorry...for everything that I have done. I admit I was wrong...very wrong and nothing can rectify that nor I have any excuses for my actions. But if you ever find it in your heart, I request you to forgive me and them".

A chorus of apologies was heard behind Angela, and a glance behind her revealed that most of the students were supporting mortified looks.

She was totally surprised at the sudden turn of events. All these students had made her life as difficult as they could, and Angela had spearheaded the campaign. She had become the bane of her existence in the school. And now, they were asking for condonation.

"What's the sudden change, Angela?"

After Sharpener voiced his question, she saw Angela becoming quiet for a second before biting her lip and replying, "His words...they forced me to reflect on my past deeds which I again admit were wrong."

Initially surprised that Gohan was able to shift the paradigm of so many people without realising, she shook her head to clear her thoughts before standing up and coming face to face with Angela, and spoke, "You are right, after everything that you all have done, I can't think of any possible way of forgiving you, but Bardock stated that everyone deserves a second chance, and if I don't follow that, I would be going against his beliefs of honesty and cooperation. So, I believe we all can start it afresh".

-ooooooooo-

"I would be going against his beliefs of honesty and cooperation…"

His smile dimmed a bit on hearing that. Thankfully, nobody noticed his reaction as they were busy with the apologies and ironing out their issues. He knew that by concealing their Saiyan heritage and some other facts, they hadn't been completely honest. He had argued this point before the showdown, but the mothers of their group had declared that they didn't want to see their children as test subjects of someone like Dr Gero. Further, Tien had stated that they had every right to keep their privacy. He had dropped the issue after that, clearly understanding where they were coming from and...He stopped his thought train when Sharpener turned towards him with his face indicating his desire to speak.

"Mountain boy, earlier I called you a poet, I take that back. You, my friend, are a Preacher."

"Huh?" he could only voice his confusion.

There was a chorus of laughter in the cafeteria. What did he say?

"Hey, why are you laughing?"

The laughter only intensified.

"C'mon tell me!"

-ooooooooo-

Please Support and Review.

Sorry for the delay but that happened due to the busy schedule as well as my desire to make it as unique as possible due to most of the school-based stories ending as a cliche.

Forgive the mistakes, and anyone willing to be a BETA READER?


	6. School Adventures - II

A BIG SHOUT-OUT TO **ZFighter18** FOR THE EFFORTS AND TIME HE PUT INTO THIS CHAPTER. HE REALLY MADE IT WONDERFUL. I COULDN'T HAVE MANAGED EVEN A BIT OF WHAT HE DID.

 **Disclaimer** :- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products

 **GUEST REVIEW** \- Yeah… I could have gone with Guardian reviving people but honestly it didn't even came as an afterthought. Regarding the aliens being made a public knowledge yet Saiyans not, because Saiyans live on Earth. It would have been too difficult for them to mingle with Normal humans. You can't deny that media would have flooded their homes for even a glimpse of them. I respect that everyone has a right to privacy, no matter the situation. Regarding Master Mutaito not dying, well it's fanfiction, isn't it? We don't need to follow canon because if we did, the essence of fanfiction is lost. **Thirdly** , the super saiyan who saved Bulma was Vegeta. Regarding his hair reaching his collar bone, you remember a scene after Namek saga, when Vegeta returns to earth and takes a shower in Bulma's house, Bulma giving a pink shirt and yellow pants? to him. During that scene when he's showering, his hair is wet and falling along his back. I used the same concept with Lava and ssj hair because the hair are hair. Chichi's pulling Gohan's hair when he comes as ssj in his house before Cell games, gives that the hair even in ssj are not rigid but easily flexible. And, Lava being in liquid state though dense but a liquid nonetheless, affected the hair. But I admit, I should have been a bit more elaborative.

 **Note: Due to a glitch in FFN, I was forced to delete and re-upload chapters 5 to 9. I apologize for the inconvenience.**

-oooooo-

Grabbing and twisting the handle of the door before pushing it, Gohan entered the classroom. Receiving nods and returning in kind to some of those seated in the front, he climbed up the stairs. The front-seaters, ignoring their slightly obsessive tendencies regarding studies, were actually rather good company.

Reaching the last row, he sat down on his usual seat and began to remove the contents of his bag as usual. A small but expressive smile already on his face, he turned towards his newly-formed group of friends before greeting them with a simple, "Hey"

"Hello~/Gohan/Mountain boy" Erasa's response was as cheerful and lively as usual, which only served to widen the slight smile on Gohan's face. Videl's was a bit terse but the small grin on her face spoke enough about their budding friendship to satisfy the Saiyan teenager. Lastly, Sharpner's response firmly established that his newly earned moniker would remain the status quo for the foreseeable future.

Gohan couldn't help but shake his head slightly at the last one, smile still not disappearing. _Wonderful_.

"So, city life treating you good?" Erasa voiced her question as she propped up her chin, elbow on the table providing her support.

Gohan blinked in confusion at the sudden question before realization dawned in his mind about the whole rented house thing, "It's… umm, alright."

"Just alright? Something happen, Gohan?" Videl asked with a bit more concern in her voice than normal for her. Hearing that, he almost smiled. To think that his friendship with Videl - the same girl who had adopted an almost neutral attitude towards him in the beginning - would reach this point in just three days, was slightly surreal.

"No, nothing like that," Gohan responded as casually as he could manage, literally waving off her concern with raised hands. "It's just that I'm more of a nature person. At least, I believe that's the right word?" He let out a nervous laugh at that, rubbing the back of his head in the way all the Son males seemed to when put on the spot. "Anyway, I prefer living close to nature and all that. City life doesn't really suit me." That much was true, at least, Gohan reasoned to himself. Orange Star City did have a lot of buildings, all of them too tall for his taste. One could not get a full view of the sky stretching to the horizon with all of that in the way. Coupled with the city's dense population, the choking pollution and overwhelming and constant noise left a terrible taste in the mouth of someone who had spent so many years in the heart of nature like him.

"Well, can't fault you there, mountain boy." The musclebound blond on the far side of him gave a slight shrug, the usual smirk on his face still there as he responded. "I remember visiting the natural park up in North City with my dad, Man, no matter how much I love Orange Star City and all that, I gotta say that nothing in this city comes close to that experience, I ain't lying. Here, it's all congested." Sharpner added, combing his hair with his fingers.

"I would have to agree," Videl replied with a nod. "City life can be a bit too much. Sure, all your needs are catered to, but the lifestyle is stressful."

"That's what I'm saying!" Erasa chimed in, clapping her hands together. "How bout we make a trip to Gohan's place ASAP? Get in all that nature stuff. I could use a tan too, know what I mean?"

The door opened suddenly, the sound of it reverberating throughout the room and halting their conversation. All four of them turned towards the door in time to catch sight of a slightly buff man with a brown complexion walking towards the podium.

Gohan looked towards his timetable, quickly noting that the first lecture on Wednesday was marked as 'Physical Fitness'. He blinked at that before voicing his confusion to Erasa, voice almost lowered to a whisper as he asked, "Erasa, why do we have physical fitness as the first lecture?" He didn't have to reduce his tone much, the entire class's chit-chatting covering any sound he could have made.

The busty blonde turned towards him, slight confusion evident on her face as she replied, "Not like it's a big deal, Gohan. Why even ask?"

"Well, normally," Gohan began, raising his gaze slightly as he tried to put his confusion into words, "fitness classes are after lunch, and usually at the end of the day, not this early. Any reason for the change?"

"Oh…" Erasa nodded twice in understanding before continuing, "I get what you mean. You're pretty much right because it used to be just like that over here until Coach Gregor…" She tilted her head towards the coach who had settled himself on the podium, "decided to switch it up. He figured we were all totally drained after lunch anyway and you can't get a good workout running on fumes. So, the school went with his plan."

Gohan totally understood that. He knew how difficult it was to train in the afternoon or beyond that. The only person who could go at it for the entire day was Vegeta.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, let's wind down with the chit-chat." The gruff voice of the coach had the desired effect, silence suddenly spreading throughout the room. The only sound was due to the spinning of the fans.

"Much better. Now, I am here to inform that the hall has been repaired. So, meet me there in ten minutes."

-oooooo-

Gohan joined Erasa in the hall. All the students in his class were there, wearing suitable clothes. Erasa was clad in gym shorts and a slightly fitting grey shirt while he had decided to wear a full-sleeved loose blue shirt and grey pants. He didn't want any unnecessary attention. The jocks could have that.

Glancing around, his eyes widened when he saw Videl and Sharpner ambling towards them. Their slow pace didn't surprise him but their garbs did. Sharpner was clad in an all too familiar orange GI, only difference being the lack of King Kai's symbol on the front. However, Videl was more or less the same, the only thing standing out was her oversized green shirt. Though, Tien's touch was apparent from that.

But why were they wearing Gis? Slight anticipation rushed through his being thinking that. After all, the sole purpose of wearing a Gi was…

"Martial Arts…" Gohan couldn't prevent his neck from snapping towards Erasa on hearing the words martial and arts, spoken together. She couldn't really mean that they would be doing martial arts…

"...is what we will be doing today." _NO!_ They couldn't do martial arts, not when he was there. No, wait, that came out wrong. They could do martial arts even when he was there but they had to avoid involving him! If not, all the work he put in to come off as normal and all his plans for the future to mingle with the humans would have to be thrown out of the window.

"...lose at the hands of a future Turtle Style master."

Gohan blinked out of his frenzy when he heard Sharpner's voice. Both he and Videl were nearing them.

"I'm telling you, Sharpy, you better surrender now if you want to keep looking good, especially in front of the girls."

"Yeah yeah yeah, Videl. You're just flapping your gums."

"Nope, it's a fact. Cranes are better than turtles."

"Hey! Don't you dare besmirch the name of the legendary Turtle School And, why the hell are you wearing pajamas, mountain boy?"

Gohan again blinked at the sudden and absurd shift in topic, directed at him. He glanced down at his track pants, despite knowing exactly what Sharpner was referring to. They were not pajamas but loose track pants for comfort. Shaking his head, he replied, "I'm fine, Sharpner. What's the problem with them?"

"You sure you're not gonna trip over yourself, big guy?", Erasa asked, tilting her head to the side, "And why the long face?"

And they say Erasa was the oblivious one. He was sure she had barely spared a glance at him yet managed to see through his thoughts.

"Well… uh, we are doing martial arts today."

"Not a fan of fighting, Gohan?" Videl asked, a slight frown evident on her face.

That look was enough to make Gohan freeze up, the Saiyan quickly altering the straightforward answer he was about to give. "Just a bit, you know. Only as a spectator, really. I am not a big fan of all that kicking and punching." He wasn't lying, ever since he was a child, he didn't have the slightest disposition towards fighting unlike his dad and Vegeta who seemed to prioritize it. Only when it was for the sake of his family, friends and the planet, he could really give it his all.

"Dude," Sharpner scoffed, turning his head to the side, "martial arts isn't only about kicking and punching. It involves other things too. Like dodging…"

"The kicks and punches." Erasa cut in with a smirk.

"... and meditation to analyze…"

"The kicks and punches."

Sharpner gave a dry look to Erasa, the girl's playful grin only making him shake his head, "I rest my case."

Gohan relaxed a bit hearing the small and playful banter, but the relief was short-lived as immediately Videl spoke up again, "Times have changed, Gohan. Martial arts isn't just about simple fighting anymore. With the publicity of KI, new opportunities have opened. If not for fighting, then you gotta learn it to figure out Ki, or for flight and other stuff. Not to mention self-defence."

He nodded but mentally cringed. He couldn't tell them that right now, he was arguably the fastest being on the planet – on land, air, and sea. If Videl and the others came to know about his abilities, he didn't know what would happen. But for the time being, he decided to go along the flow, not that he had a choice as the physical fitness lecture was compulsory.

"Students…" The shout drew the attention of all, including them, towards the coach, "You know the deal today - Martial Arts. So pair among yourselves like last week." A couple of moments passed in the pairing before coach spoke again, "Good. Now, Gohan, who is your partner?" The coach asked while looking directly at Gohan.

"It's me, coach." Some of the students turned towards Erasa, hearing her voice.

"Alright, that'll work. I mean, I would honestly have gone with you, Erasa, just to get to know his skill set." Gohan sighed at that. With Erasa being his partner confirmed by the coach, he wouldn't have to worry about his abilities. The blonde being an absolute novice meant he wouldn't have to go out of his way to be excessively careful.

"Sorry, coach, I figure that Gohan should be paired with someone experienced. He is totally lacking in this field and pairing him with Erasa just won't work…" Gohan felt slightly apprehensive at where this was going. Though a moment later, he mentally shook the dread as the only experienced person who wasn't paired yet, was the coach himself. It won't be an issue with him being his partner. The issue would have been if Videl herself had volunteered…

"In fact, I'd like to test him myself. Since he's a close friend, I wanna see where he stands. Simply to get an understanding." His stomach twisted into a knot hearing that. This wasn't supposed to happen. Videl would definitely see through his plans, no matter how much he tried to conceal his abilities.

"Even I agree with that." The words of Sharpner and a shrug from Erasa sealed his fate.

"Alright." The words were spoken after a moment and followed by an apologetic look from the coach, directed at Gohan, one the young Saiyan didn't miss. Resigned to his fate, Gohan followed Videl to one of the many martial arts mats laid down for the purpose.

"Now, I'm gonna come at you with varying speeds. I'm gonna base your level off of how you react." Gohan nodded to Videl and started pondering over what to do. He could either dodge, block or allow the hit but that itself was an issue. He didn't know Videl's total skills so she could be running at half of her total speed, implying that dodging or blocking would reveal his skills. On the other hand, allowing the hit would only hurt her, thanks to his incredibly tough constitution even with his Ki suppressed as low as it was.

His musings halted when Videl reached him and lobbed a punch straight towards his face. His instincts taking hold, Gohan clapped his hands together, catching the girl's hand at the very last moment. Gohan blinked, noting that the tip of Videl's knuckle was just barely touching his nose, implying that she had also slowed her punch. Of course, she wasn't actually going to hit him, he should have realised that.

For a few seconds, Videl was oddly still, simply staring at her martial partner with a blank expression. Gohan started worrying when she didn't seem to react any further. A couple of moments passed which only augmented his worries before Videl lowered her hand and spoke, "Okay, I've got a general idea where you stand and the next punch would have definitely hit you. I gotta say, though, you blocking this one really surprised me. Erasa's slightly better than you but she has a couple of months on her side." She pulled back her fist, raising an eyebrow at Gohan curiously. "Also, you aren't as scrawny as you want us to think. I saw the outline of your muscles when you blocked my punch."

Gohan slightly gulped at the unspoken yet evident question. This was exactly the situation that he was afraid of. Yet, at the same time, he was surprisingly amazed at Videl's deduction abilities. What was happening to him? His feelings were all conflicted. But he mentally shook them as he knew he had yet to answer. His hand inadvertently reached behind his head, "Umm…"

"I think it's all about where he came from."

Everybody turned towards the coach who was also watching them, but neither he nor the others had noticed. "As I said, he was raised and lives in Mt Paozu. Manual work there, definitely counts to something."

"Coach's right…" He immediately went with the coach's idea, "You remember I told you about all the firewood we use..." The others nodded, "...I do all the work from cutting to carrying, and regarding the punch, I just followed my instincts." Gohan concluded with a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his head, praying to Dende that they accept his excuse.

"Hmmm… that's actually good. Now, we can focus solely on your martial arts." Videl nodded to herself while looking at the ground.

"Yeah, your workout makes this a lot easier for us to really get you trained up." Sharpner voiced giving Gohan a thumbs up, and he nodded in return. However, inside, he felt relieved at the end of the ordeal. It could have been worse, his abilities were at stake, after all.

"Don't worry Gohan, we'll deal with their training together." The assurance of Erasa slightly helped his general mood. Not by much, though.

"With that done, both of you can go and help the other students before your match, and Erasa, since you already know the basics, you should follow and observe them. Meanwhile, I'll show Gohan the basics.." The coach directed Videl and Sharpner, both of them nodding before they left. Erasa also heeded the coach's advice before wishing Gohan luck and leaving.

Gohan watched as they shifted from one mat to another, interacting with the students and helping them as they went along. The students were really eager to learn about Martial Arts and consequently Ki. Yet, here he was, hiding his origins and skills despite the publicity of Ki. What was he even doing like this?

"You can't hide it forever, Gohan. Sooner or later, they will know who you are, you know."

The coach was right, the adolescent Saiyan couldn't help but note. At some point, he would have to tell them more than even the coach knew. But for now, he was content enough with the situation, though knowing that he would have to cross that bridge when the time comes.

"I know coach…" Gohan sighed out loud, "I know."

-oooooo-

The moment came for which everyone was eagerly waiting — The duel between the next generation users of the two of the infamous martial arts styles — and Gohan, like others, was also interested to see it. It would be, after all, the first time he would witness a pure hand-to-hand spar between both styles. There would be no KI blasts nor flight.

"They're amazing. You can't even blink or you'll miss a good chunk of the fight."

Gohan turned towards Erasa, clearly surprised at her words, "I thought you weren't fond of martial arts?"

"Not really… mostly 'cause of all the hard work I have to put in, you know, but I am totally fine with watching it. And, It becomes more interesting when the ones duelling are your friends. In fact, I jumped into martial arts watching them only."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I grew up with those two knuckleheads, y'know. I've seen them going at it since we were kids, and they were intense even way back when they didn't even have any muscles to show for it. They only got even crazier when this Ki stuff went mainstream. Seeing them literally go from human to _this_ in such a short time even inspired me."

That was Ki, alright, Gohan mused to himself. It opened a whole new world for the user to explore. It didn't matter if one was fond of martial arts or not. After using it – or as in Erasa's case, even witnessing the results of KI – you couldn't help but be drawn towards it.

Now more interested than before, Gohan shifted his vision towards the upcoming fight where Sharpner had just settled into the turtle stance, legs spread out wide to provide balance and strength while his arms were raised up in front of him with his fingers curled into claws. Videl also followed in the crane style, one leg raised and hands outstretched in different positions. Out of nowhere, a sudden thought flashed in his mind which he voiced, "Uh… Erasa, why did they choose different schools? I mean, with them being friends and all that, shouldn't they have gone for the same master?"

Erasa slightly chuckled before replying, "Oh, they actually applied for both schools, honestly. Thing is, though, Tien rejected Sharpy as he was too carefree for his own good – at least that's what Tien said – and Krillin rejected Videl because she was too uptight."

Slight amusement appeared on his face in the form of a smirk as he heard that and not a moment later, the shout rang out for the fight to begin.

-oooooo-

The coach's shout was the signal.

Sharpner immediately dashed towards Videl, the sight of that wiping away Gohan's smirk in place of a frown. Reaching her, the muscular blonde cocked his right hand – his dominant hand – but jabbed with his left, towards her stomach. Reacting quickly, Videl deflected that with her right palm only to be suddenly placed on the back foot as Sharpner followed it up with a blow from his dominant hand, forcing Videl to meet it with a fist of her own. A knee strike lanced out towards her stomach – another vicious attack from Sharpner – but the dark-haired girl again slammed a palm onto his knee joint, locking it in place with her own strength to Sharpner's visible surprise. Immediately after, she sprung up with a hand still on Sharpner's knee and using it as a springboard, the girl launched a spinning double kick towards her opponent. Sharpner reacted just as quickly as she had, rapidly lowering his leg but even that wasn't fast enough to disrupt Videl's movement, the girl leaping off to launch a flurry of kicks. Jumping back in the nick of time, he avoided the strikes as best he could, nearly stumbling as he landed

Taking a breath, Sharpner again dashed towards Videl and attempted a spinning kick but she dodged that by dropping into a crouch, her short stature helping in that. Caught up in his own momentum, Sharpner couldn't react to Videl's counter, the blond unable to deflect the straight kick to his back. With a pained grunt, he fell forward on his hands. Rolling to his left to avoid a sudden stomp from Videl, he sprung back to his feet in a flip, facing the short Satan girl with a frown on his face.

"Bet you must be boiling that the first hit goes to me, eh, Sharpy?"

Sharpner knew she was trying to bait him, as she only called him Sharpy when they sparred to press on his nerves. Releasing a breath, he calmed himself before retorting, "Oh, we're only getting started, little girl." This time he didn't rush forward, simply standing his ground as he waited for the Satan to make her move.

Videl apparently saw that and initiated the attack. Despite her short height, she successfully performed a roundhouse kick. But he didn't dodge that instead punched her midriff which she wasn't able to prevent due to being airborne, the length of his limb helping there as he had calculated. With an audible noise, she fell on her back but stood a second later.

"Something to say now?" Sharpner asked with a cocky grin.

"I admit that was a mistake on my part, but it won't happen again." As if corroborating her words something changed in her demeanour. Though he couldn't name it, but it was easily observable. And, the sudden boost in her speed when she dashed towards him, only substantiated that.

For the next few seconds, Sharpner was forced to dodge a flurry of Videl's vicious attacks, his actions quickly shifting to blocking as he was forced to struggle to maintain a defense under Videl's rapid improvement. The notion gave birth to slight panic inside him, worry that Videl was outpacing him in more ways than one. They were supposed to be equals since they began training at the same time but it was evident that Videl was already better than him and… The blond blinked out of his musings as a punch flashed through his vision, the teenager suddenly doubling over from a strike he was entirely unprepared for. The next moment, he felt the pain in his stomach, the sensation intensifying as it was followed by two quick jabs to his chest. He made to stumble back but didn't get far before a leg swept his own, and he slammed back hard into the mat, his vision filled with nothing but the sky above.

"The match goes to Videl."

-oooooo-

Gohan couldn't help but feel rather impressed by the short fight. It was really anew for him to see a pure hand to hand spar between both styles. Though, it was clear that Videl was definitely better of the two. Tien's strict and calculative teaching was apparent in her moves. She had successfully employed her short height and low mass to enhance the agility in her attacks. Truly, Videl was doing justice to the famed Crane style.

On the other hand, he couldn't help but frown at seeing Sharpner's less than satisfactory performance. The blond had everything to his advantage - height, body mass and Turtle style. It had already been proven – multiple times, in fact, from what every member of the Turtle school had told him – that Turtle style was better than Crane style. His father despite being a kid, had first established that idea as fact by almost defeating Tien in the WMAT, only losing as a result of a technicality.

Somehow, Sharpner had lost despite that. The reason behind his loss was apparent to Gohan of course, and would be so to any other master martial artist, but entirely unknown to the blond. Sharpner had definitely grasped the moves but not the essence behind the famed style, which was…

A buzzing noise halted his train of thought and Gohan immediately turned towards the source of the noise - the speaker hanging on the wall.

 _'All staff members, as well as students, must vacate the school premises within thirty minutes. Cyclone K-seven has rerouted itself towards Sector Seventeen. It's estimated to hit the shoreline in two hours. Heavy downpours are forecasted. You are advised to seek immediate shelter. REPEAT…'_

-oooooo-

"You sure you'll be fine?"

"I will, Videl. My house is just on the other side of the city. Honestly, I'm more worried about you. With the storm at the horizon, I really don't think you should…"

Videl interrupted Gohan by raising her hand before speaking, "Gohan, I appreciate it but thousands of people's lives are at stake here. This city needs all hands on deck. I didn't stop trying to help people when I didn't know a thing about Ki, so it'd make no sense for me to quit now."

Gohan got where Videl was coming from, if he was being honest. There's no doubt that he would have done and said almost exactly the same if the roles were reversed but the petite little Satan didn't have anywhere near the required power to do something like this safely. From what Krillin and Tien had told him, they hadn't done anything like shift the course of a natural disaster until they were all firmly stronger than Master Roshi.

True, Videl had found the gates of her KI but she hadn't quite managed to open them, not anywhere near to the point of being considered a true student of her respective style like Krillin and Tien had been just. At best, she was a practitioner of Crane Style's forms with only somewhat more understanding of the essence of the art than Sharpner did.

She certainly couldn't be compared to Master Roshi in the slightest. Even his Mom was nearly as strong as the Old Turtle Hermit and she hadn't trained properly since before Gohan was even born. Videl's skills had definitely taken a jump but it was nothing in comparison to either his mom or Master Roshi and it certainly wouldn't amount to much when she couldn't even muster the energy enough to fly. Still, Gohan knew better than to voice his thoughts.

"Don't be a mother hen, mountain boy. Videl's a big girl. She'll be alright, anyway, I'll make sure of it."

Gohan turned to face Sharpner, not even bothering to fight the confusion on his face, "You're part of this too?"

"Part being the operative word there," Erasa chimed in. "He's a part-timer"

Gohan was about to ask even more but Sharpner beat him to it as he responded, "The way Erasa puts it... I only help in the worst cases, y'know. All that two hands are better than one kinda thing."

"Sorry, Gohan but we're already running late. We'll see you Monday since the school's probably gonna be closed till then." Videl put a stop to any further conversation as she de-capsulized her jet and quickly boarded it. Sharpner and Erasa nodded towards him and followed suit.

Gohan waved at them as they took off, waiting for them to get some distance before de-capsulizing the family car he had borrowed from his mom to vouch for his living conditions within Satan City. Jumping into it, he drove it away from the school, eyes focused on the road as he mentally called out for Dende, hoping the green Kami was listening.

 _'Dende, you there?'_ The worry was evident from his tone.

 _'I am Gohan, and I know what you have to say'_ As always, Dende tended to keep at least one antenna focused on the calls of his friends, listening for whenever they would call.

 _'Then you have to do something about the situation!'_

 _'...Sorry Gohan, I can't. It's…'_

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU CAN'T? THOUSANDS WILL DIE!" He realised a bit later that he had audibly shouted his thoughts but that didn't matter at all.

 _'I know but it's not in my hands'_

 _'B-but… you're Kami, for Kami's sake!'_

 _'That's the reason, Gohan, Natural events like this aren't something I can interfere with. It's a gross misuse of my position and it can have great effects on the natural cycle of things, as well as that of life and death.'_

 _'B-but…'_

 _'Please listen to me first!'_

Gohan quieted his thoughts despite his nerves, and allowed Dende the time to respond.

 _'I said I can't interfere but it doesn't mean that you can't. In fact, it's time the world sees Bardock again_ ' The adolescent Saiyan blinked at Dende's words before realising that his Namekian friend was right. He had the required power and it wouldn't take much to stop the natural phenomenon, time or effort. Shaking his head in dismay, Gohan couldn't help but concede that his mother was right, at least when it came to the fact that he was totally oblivious of what he had to offer.

 _'You're right. Thanks, Dende.'_

 _'Anytime, Gohan'_

Breaking the mental link, Gohan stopped his car and jumped out of it before re-capsulizing the vehicle and rushing towards a nearby alleyway. Quickly entering, Gohan immediately blurred and appeared several miles above in the windy sky. Raising his left forearm close to his chest, he tapped the watch he wore, specifically holding down the large green button that stood out prominently on the timepiece. Immediately, a blue GI replaced his clothes and Gohan felt himself grow more comfortable in his own skin as he stretched out in the familiar attire. Flexing his impressive muscles and releasing a breath he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding, Gohan quickly delved into the seemingly endless ocean of energy inside him as he suddenly ascended, yellow Ki bursting to life around him as he retook his Super Saiyan form and blasted out towards the sea without wasting a moment.

In under a second, the Super Saiyan passed Videl's jet copter, overtaking it with such speed that his wake would have sent the flying vehicle spiraling out of control if he didn't possess such careful control of his own energy. Another half second more and Gohan found himself above the shoreline. Stopping there, he could already spot the efforts done by the mitigation teams to evacuate the area. Still, managing nearly ten thousand people was very difficult, at least for them. Deciding to save them the hassle, Gohan quickly shot off towards the direction of the cyclone to get a better view of the natural disaster.

His eyes widened as he took the entirety of it in, Gohan quickly realizing that it was far worse than what the school authorities had reported.

The eyewall was at least 15 miles wide and nearly as tall, the monstrosity encompassing a massive amount of space within its area. There were no qualms about the destruction the cyclone would cause. Luckily, he was here to prevent this from getting any worse.

He shot towards the cyclone at speeds easily considered hypersonic, not bothering to rein in his energy as the wake left a powerful force behind it this time. His shockwave was as powerful as he had expected, powerful enough that the winds he left behind were more than enough to dwarf those of the cyclone, easily reversing the flow of the tempest as he dove directly into the center. Inside it, the eye was totally calm with winds light enough to be considered a simple breeze flowing through it.

Settling into the horse stance, Gohan started building his Ki. Some seconds passed before, with a yell, he released the burst of Ki with a powerful yell. The effect was instantaneous as everything cleared out, the sky becoming perfectly calm and placid in a thirty mile-wide area. The clouds above, and the vertical wall of winds connecting them, all scattered. The only sign that there was a cyclone was an almost thirty mile-wide depression in the water, which was quickly filling.

Watching his work for a few seconds, Gohan nodded in satisfaction before blurring and appearing above cloud level and blasting away towards his home.

It only took a minute or so to reach his house in Mt Paozu, Gohan not feeling any urgency to rush towards home. Landing in front of the house, he didn't get a chance to knock on the door, when Goten came like a bullet towards him. Though, Gohan managed to catch him in the nick of time before settling him on his shoulders.

"You need to be careful, Goten." Gohan advised to his brother who was giggling hilariously. However, as usual for the little guy, Goten ignored him and simply flailed his arms as he loudly shouted, "YouareamazingGohanreallyamazingwaytooamazingan…"

"Woah, cool down, tyke. I can't understand anything." Goten was like that, always full of energy and overly excited, just like their father.

Controlling his excitement though barely, Goten repeated, "You are _waay_ too amazing, big bro, _thiiis_ much..." Gohan chuckled when Goten wide opened his arms to convey his emotions. The innocence was just too much. And, I would savour it for as long as possible.

"You came in like _Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh_ and then it was all over. I want to stop a cycle just like you." Gohan had just entered the house when he abruptly stopped, already familiar with the Goten's habit of mispronouncing words. But how did Goten come to knew that he stopped a cyclone? And that too, so fast?

"Goten, how did you know that?" Gohan voiced while looking up at Goten.

"From the TV." Hearing the voice, Gohan shifted his vision towards his mother who was standing at the entrance of the lobby. Immediately, she pointed to her right where he knew the TV was. He entered the lobby and saw the TV displaying the satellite view of the cyclone, with only the rotating clouds visible. A second later, the clouds were violently dispersed when a golden light flashed through them. The satellite footage started zooming in, capturing a slightly disoriented footage of him from the moment he appeared above the clouds before blasting away at untraceable speeds. Though, the cat was out of the bag.

"I'm fine with it," Chichi replied with a sigh, shaking her head a little. "Not only it was necessary but you were also careful enough to avoid being seen. I'm sure it'll fade in days, just like the showdown."

Gohan was slightly surprised that his mother brushed off the topic just like that, nonetheless nodded to her. Despite welcoming the shift in her thoughts, he wouldn't get used to it, ever. Though, She was totally right.

"Can we play outside, huh? Huh?" As usual, Goten's train of thought rerouted within seconds, Gohan mused, smiling slightly. The mini-Goku totally forgot about the cyclone issue and shifted to playing. Well, he had nothing to do, so why not? "Sure, let me change."

"Boys, I want you back before dinner, and remember Gohan, you have homework to get done."

"I'll take care of it over the weekend, mom," Gohan replied offhandedly.

"No missing school tomorrow either."

Gohan slightly raised his face before replying, "But they closed the school because of the storm…"

"Which you stopped, remember? So, no vacation for you, young man." His eyes widened realising his mother was right before he slightly slumped and walked towards his room, with Goten giggling at his fate.

-oooooo-

Gohan flew towards the school, ready for his next day in class. The school authorities had called home and informed them that the closure orders had been suspended in light of the storm no longer being an issue. His mom had already ordered him to comply but, then again, it's not like he really wanted to miss it, either.

Time at school so far had been good, especially considering he had managed to acquire really good friends. Sharpner, ignoring his slightly cocky attitude, was good company, The blond was rather carefree, and his gentle ribbing with Videl was honestly rather amusing. Then, there was Erasa. She was full of life and, like most of the girls of her age, was a bit obsessed about fashion. Though, that was Erasa for you. He would always cherish their friendship as she was the first person to befriend him in the school. And lastly, there was Videl. His friendship with her was… _unique_ , if he had to pick a term. Initially adopting a cool attitude, she had soon warmed up to him. Their interactions had increased, and now she was one of his best friends. The blue eyed girl had a will of rock, standing proud despite the odds against her. She deserved all the praise for that. But above all, she was nothing but honest.

And, it was really surprising that he, a total stranger, managed to worm himself into a group of friends who had been together since childhood and were fully open regarding their secrets with each other. He was sure this type of situation only occurred in films and novels.

Though, the thought brought a frown on Gohan's face.

Gohan was aware of the fact that he would need to reveal his secrets to his newly formed friends. They definitely deserved to know at least what even the teachers knew, if not more.

He could clearly remember how the staff was head over heels to meet the son of legendary Son Goku. His father's status had apparently gone even more sky-high after the showdown. He had to request them to keep his family name to themselves and to secure his admission form in which he had mentioned his family details just because he didn't want any unnecessary attention. Thankfully, the teachers had relented after hearing his reasoning, and agreed to call him by his first name only.

He stopped his musings when he reached the outskirts of fourteenth division of sector seventeen, his CapsuleCorp watch again managing the save. Landing there, he de-capsulized his car and drove towards the school.

Barely ten minutes later, he was walking on the pathway leading to the school's entrance.

"Heya, Gohannn!" Turning around, he was greeted to the sight of his three friends ambling towards him. Adding some steps on his part, he reduced the distance between them and was about to greet them in return when Videl beat him to it.

"Did you see Bardock?!" Her eyes were slightly wide, blue irises shining with sheer awe and excitement. This was the first time Gohan had seen Videl like this, acting like most other teenage girls.

"Yeah, my brother called and showed me. The little ball of energy didn't stop talking about him for hours." His answer was what she had expected, apparent from the way she nodded rapidly a couple of times before replying, "Yeah, he's that amazing! I mean, he stopped the cyclone in a moment! Can you believe that?!"

Gohan chuckled at the sheer excitement in her words, "You really look up to the guy, don't you?"

"Yeah, as a crush and future husband." Sharpner jumped in with a chuckle. Erasa also laughed a bit at that. Videl, on the other hand, turned beet red before exploding at Sharpner.

Unfortunately, Gohan didn't hear what she said.

He couldn't, his mind having lost the ability to comprehend anything else after Sharpner's remark. To believe that Videl had a crush on him was just too much for his brain to process. A few moments went by before his brain finally interpreted her words, and he slightly calmed himself as she was crushing on his alter-ego. A moment later, his eyes again widened a bit when he realised that technically it was him.

But how did this happen? He hadn't even met her directly as Bardock, ever, meaning no talks, no getting to know each other, so, how? Not to mention the future husband thing. That was something he didn't even want to delve into.

"...just Gohan…" His name spoken by Erasa, broke him out of his stupor before he focused on what she was saying, "...He's our friend, you can tell him. It isn't a big deal either."

"Yeah, wasn't 'secret-free friendship' your motto?" Gohan cringed a bit hearing that. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold it for long. He would have to tell them about him soon.

"I guess I have no choice," Videl relented with a sigh before continuing, "The muscleful idiot is right. I vision Bardock as a future life partner and all that."

"Really?!" The words came out a bit louder and on their own. Hearing that from Videl's own mouth, was sort of different. Fortunately, the others ignored that.

"Oh, she's totally smitten with him since the Cell games." Confusion replaced the wonder on his face as he took in Erasa's words. Hadn't he been labelled as a supposed 'trickster' after the Cell games? By her father, no less? Gohan couldn't help but voice his confusion, "Uhh… how could you, you know, like Bardock after cell games? I mean, he was labelled as a… trickster after that." Slight faltering in speech marked the uneasiness he felt, not at all wanting to sound too obvious.

But that wasn't supposed to be the case.

Slight regret dawned upon Videl's visage before she shook her head and spoke, "But not at the Cell games. At that time, he was like this figure of hope for everyone on the planet, and double that for the girls as a crush too."

Videl slightly chuckled before continuing, "But it was natural, with a boy not older than eleven facing down the world's biggest monster without any fear, I mean… it was just amazing to watch, y'know? Not to mention his powers, too, and that golden transformation just made him look even more amazing! I couldn't take my eyes off of him back then. Though, I'm kinda sad that I believed my dad when he called him a trickster… I still hate how gullible I was. After that, I didn't even talk about him for almost seven whole years but when he showed up and saved King Furry… that's when I started thinking about him again. Plus everything that happened after that, including how he still supported me at the big showdown even after all that terrible stuff my dad said about him and his friends… How many guys can you find out there that are good-looking, strong, nice and super humble like that? There are a lot of girls in the race to get Bardock, and I'm definitely one of them." Videl shrugged with a smile on her face.

Gohan could only blink after all Videl said, the dark-haired girl basically pouring her heart out with a dreamy look on her face that simply looked out of place on the tough fighter. That… was intense. Her thoughts and desires about him were really surprising as he honestly didn't know he had this much effect on her. Not to mention, the other girls. Out of nowhere, a thought flashed in his mind – the other girls didn't matter at all.

But before he could delve into that recent and strange thought, a bell rang indicating the time to enter the classes, and brought him to the real world before all of them rushed towards the classroom.

-oooooo-

Please support and review. Any suggestions are welcome for the future chapters, and I will see if they are usable in the plot I have planned.


	7. School Adventurs - III

**Disclaimer** :- I don't own Dragon Ball and related series or products.

 **Note: Due to a glitch in FFN, I was forced to delete and re-upload chapters 5 to 9. I apologize for the inconvenience.**

-ooooooo-

The teacher concluded the lecture on thermodynamics, the last forty minutes of hearing her voice as well as word-to-word recitation of the contents of the chapter had left most of the aspiring graduates teetering on the edge of staying conscious or succumb to the wonderful temptation of sleep.

 _'Well, can't fault them'_ Gohan mused while placing his book inside the bag. The voice of the teacher was unnaturally flat, the nearly monotonous tone only highlighting it, and coupled with the way she was just reading the chapter without elaborating anything was downright…

"It was booriiing…", Erasa groaned, her torso sprawled over the desk and her folded arms cushioning her head from the hard surface.

"Nope, it was quite good," Came the immediate reply from Sharpener. The muscleful blond had his eyes slightly widened and totally glued towards their teacher who was in late twenties.

Videl shook her head at the dreamy look that was apparent on the visage of Sharpener, "Only for you. She is your favourite teacher after all."

An amused smile made its way on Gohan's face. It wasn't a secret - not even in the slightest - that Sharpener had a huge crush on their physics teacher. However on the other hand, the blond had displayed similar tendencies towards all the good looking females in the school. In fact, being the only person in the school to shamelessly flirt with Videl Satan of all. _He's persistent though._

"I bet even Gohan found it boring." Gohan turned his head towards Erasa who was looking at him expectedly.

Gohan shrugged, "It was."

Immediately, the tube top clad girl turned towards the muscleful blond, her nose held high amplifying the triumphant look on her visage, "See, even the genius agrees with me."

"That's because he had most likely read this topic more than a decade ago." Videl noted, a small but playful grin directed at him. Initially, she was a bit surprised when Gohan had told her that the major reason he was attending the school was to make friends, and that he knew the entire syllabus like the back of his hand, having had learnt it years ago.

However, that suddenly started making sense. There was no reason for him to join this school when he could have just graduated by taking the exams.

Erasa's triumphant look was immediately replaced by a slightly confused and surprised look, and whatever Sharpener wanted to say, apparent from his opened mouth, didn't follow; the blond's mouth began closing and opening like a fish before he managed to utter, "R-really?"

There was no harm in telling the truth. Gohan reasoned to himself. It wasn't a big deal if compared to his other secrets. Moreover, his performance in the class in every subject was a dead giveaway.

Gohan simply nodded.

"Un-fuckin-believable…", Sharpener shook his head while raking his hand through his hair, "What were you then, five? six?

"... I was six,'' The surprised as well as awed look that appeared on the faces of both the blondes was even more intense than that on Videl's when he had told her about how he had finished the entire school curriculum more than a decade ago. It was the first time Gohan had seen the blue eyed girl with a slack jawed expression.

However, that was to be expected. These school kids were not used to seeing someone of his calibre. He was a lot more advanced than others of his age. _Thanks to mom._

Both the blondes continued to look at Gohan for some seconds with Videl supporting an amused look on her visage.

"H-how?" Finally, Erasa broke the silence, her expression still remaining the same.

"My mom can be a… uh… bit persuasive." Nobody knew that better than him. She had really outdid herself during that one year. Immediately, when he had returned from Namek, the books of all subjects were piled on his desk, and he was given a time-frame to finish them.

 _You have already slacked off enough by going to that useless space trip._

Seriously nothing mattered to her, at that time, except his study. They had effectively prevented the future genocides, protected countless species and flicked the death on its nose by engaging that monster Frieza but she hadn't even baited an eye to that. To her, the planet's very present could have been in danger and future - nonexistent, but she would have made him learn its history.

"But that doesn't explain… "

"Quiet all of you…" Sharpener was cut off by the monotonous tone of the teacher, "It's time for the current affairs in the world of science."

A couple of students immediately leaned forward on their desks, Gohan himself followed the suit. He had found the current affairs topic really interesting. Despite being already at a very advanced level in all the subjects, the current affairs were totally anew for him.

He got totally into this new topic when the teacher, three days ago, had told about the space program commenced by the government six months ago, the shuttle having had already crossed two times the previous distance on its mission to reach near sun. Needless to say, knowing the daily developments in the field of science was a refreshing experience. Books only gave static knowledge.

The teacher picked a fist sized device, and after inserting a memory chip, pressed the button. Immediately, the white board lit up with a myriad of colors indicating the initialisation.

A _blop_ was heard before what looked like the myriad of colors finally settled onto black with many white dots nearly all over it. The only thing standing out was a totally black area the size of a baseball – simply devoid of any white dot.

"This…", The teacher pointed towards the picture with the photosensitive pen in her hand, "is an extract from the image of our neighbouring Andromeda galaxy. The image was released by SSA two days ago in the science gazette."

The teacher, then, made a circular motion over the black area with her pen, "And, this area – officially termed as void – is what pertains to be the subject matter of today's current affairs. According to the gazette, the scientists detected this void around five years ago. It was highly unusual, as well as unprecedented, that in a cluster of heavenly bodies, an area was simply devoid of them."

She took the class in a panoramic view, making sure that they were listening while giving an 'evil eye' to one of the jocks in the last row, before shifting her gaze towards the board, "As I was saying, the unusual discovery led the scientists collaborate their efforts and after five years of observation from different points on Earth, they were able to put the image together. The subsequent observations revealed that this void is spread over several light years and its size has increased over the years…"

Gohan's eyes slightly widened. _She couldn't mean…_

"... implying the cessation of existence of the heavenly bodies in its wake. The exact cause is unknown but there have been sporadic sightings of some green light. The scientists are totally convinced that this mysterious green light is somehow involved in this. Any questions?"

Nobody raised any, in fact most of the class was looking towards the clock – a blatant indication that they _humbly_ wanted the teacher to get out of the class.

"Alright. That's all," The teacher picked up her possessions and left the class, most of the boys shamelessly staring at her posterior.

' _Pigs_ ' Videl mused, her thoughts totally displayed at her face for all of them to see. Shaking her head, she turned towards her group of friends, "Let's go. I want to grab the seat under the oak tree."

Erasa and Sharpener immediately followed, grabbing their carry bags and a purse too, in case of Erasa.

However, Gohan's eyes were firmly glued on the now white board. The whole void thing hadn't settled all too well with him. Being a part of a space adventure when he was just five years old and then his work in Capsule corporation had aroused and maintained his interest in the cosmos. And, from that experience and his instincts, he knew a growing void in the cosmos wasn't feasible at all. Not to mention those green lights…

"Gohan, you coming?"

The demi-saiyan blinked out of his thoughts hearing Erasa calling his name. Immediately nodding towards them, he picked up his bag and rushed towards them.

-ooooooo-

"So books…" Gohan sighed at his new nickname from the muscle-bound blonde but listened anyway, "... your mom made you learn all the high school stuff as a brat?"

Gohan, with his mouthful of rice, only managed to nod. _Why is he talking about studies? It's lunch period for Dende's sake_.

"Wow! She must have been a great student," Erasa's chirped excitedly "Did she also top in her college or was it a uni?"

This was becoming difficult day by day. All these secrets were really taking a toll on him. He had thought that the other teenagers would be like him – minding their own business and not asking a lot of questions everytime something new popped up. But that wasn't the case here.

But he could understand Erasa's curiosity. For him to be so advanced from homeschooling only, his mom ought to have a bright academic record. However, he couldn't tell them that his mom was also homeschooled but from the best teachers in the Ox-kingdom.

If this tidbit of information was revealed, it wouldn't be long before he had to spill everything about him here only. Videl's inquisitive nature and Erasa - being the top agent of the school's gossip network - would definitely see to that. _Please bear with me. I don't want to hide it but this isn't the right place._

"Uh… yeah. She graduated from the college in Ox kingdom."

"Great!" The blonde girl exclaimed happily before digging into a couple of salad items.

"Come to think of it, Why didn't you join the college there? It would have definitely saved you the commute."

As usual Videl always had a question. Though, this time he had a genuine reason – something that he was really glad of – meaning he wouldn't have to lie.

"I want to join the Orange Star University, and as you know, they have a reservation as well as scholarship for the OSH students. Moreover, I wanted to see the city life for myself," That was at least true, Gohan reasoned to himself. Orange Star University funded Orange Star High, that's why it provided some perks to students joining from the school.

Videl nodded and busied herself in the lunch. Seeing this, Gohan sighed in relief before digging into his own lunch. Ten minutes passed in near silence, the only sounds being the slurping and chewing of the food items.

"Done," The bubbly blonde chirped after finishing her food before the others, only having a light meal to stick to her dieting schedule. Videl and Sharpener finished a couple moments later. Only Gohan continued, totally oblivious to his surroundings.

Videl started watching Gohan as he was busy eating. _He lives in the middle of nowhere, have been homeschooled. So how come he tops even in the practical work._ She couldn't help but voice, "Gohan… ", The demi-saiyan looked up, some noodles hanging from his mouth before he all but inhaled them, "... You have been homeschooled yet you are the best when it comes to the lab work. You get what I mean?" Out of habit, her eyes narrowed - something which he had termed as _Videl Stare_.

"Yeah, Mountain boy. The chemicals and equipment are not available for home use. So how? Or do you have a secret lab in the basement?" Sharpener voiced in accord with Videl, a small grin – teetering towards the cocky side – on his face.

But before he could even open his mouth, Erasa squealed, clapping her hands, "Wouldn't it be great!? The best cutie in the school is also a super secret scientist!"

Gohan slightly blushed at being called 'cutie' and was about to laugh at the absurd notion but again caught the Videl Stare directed at him. His hand inadvertently reached the back of his head, and he started chuckling nervously – an instinctive action when put on the spot.

 _Crap! how do I get out of this?_ Gohan tried to think of many ways to answer this question, but after a few moments of mulling, he realised he couldn't. He just couldn't fault them there as he too knew very well that the only way to reach his level of efficiency was by working in… a lab. _Wait! May be I can… yes that'll be great. It will also help me in the future._

Steeling himself for what he was about to reveal, he motioned the trio with his hands to come closer. The three exchanged a look before leaning on the table, closing the distance between them.

Gohan, looking around once, released a breath. "Uh… what I am going to tell you, you can't reveal it to anybody, " he looked at them expectedly. Videl had her left eyebrow raised, Sharpener had his head tilted towards right and Erasa mouth had formed an 'O'. When he continued to look at them with those pleading eyes, the trio, once more exchanging glances, shrugged and nodded.

Gohan nodded with a sigh, the relief apparent on his face. "Now first of all, I don't have a secret lab in the basement," he began with an awkward chuckle, hoping to calm his frantic nerves, "As for how I know all this… I might've kinda went through an apprenticeship in… Capsule Corporation."

The trio gave him a blank stare for a couple of seconds before Videl's eyes totally widened, Sharpener's jaw parted in surprise, but nothing could have prepared him for the blonde girl's reaction.

Erasa's eyes widened to the point that they would drop out of their sockets, her mouth parting to the point that her skin almost stretched to the point of tearing. Then she visibly shuddered. Immediately, as if launched of a springboard, the girl jumped from her chair.

Time slowed down for the demi-Saiyan. He watched with terrified eyes and pale face as the busty blonde brought her left hand from her side towards him, the index finger directly aimed at him, and the wide open mouth making it totally obvious to see when her tongue recoiled that she was about to squeal _LOUD_.

Gohan braced himself. _Please don't let her shout. Don't let her shout. Don't let her shout…_ he started repeating the mantra.

Videl, who had her eyes totally glued at Gohan and though surprised but not shocked, noticed his reaction. _Shit!_

Realising what was going to happen, the blue eyed girl immediately jolted out of her seat and grabbed the elongated arm of her super-excited friend while simultaneously clamping over her shoulder and pulling her down in the seat. Videl's reaction also stimulated Sharpener into action and he followed by clamping his hand over Erasa's mouth.

Gohan held his breath as the blonde girl squirmed in her seat, her wide eyes having a haunted look. Only the combined efforts of Sharpener and Videl were holding her down.

"Mmmph! mmmpphh! mmmphhhh!"

Gohan silently cursed himself and was about to second guess his decision of revealing this information in school of all places, when Erasa, after struggling in her seat for a few minutes, calmed down.

"You okay, Erasa?" A nod was the answer before Videl retreated her hands. Seeing this Sharpener also pulled his hand back and started furiously scrubbing it with tissues. However, the culprit in question didn't even spare a glance at him. Her eyes totally locked on the target, she immediately leaned forward on the table. "You have been to THE capsule corporation? Oh my gosh! Oh my GOSH! OH MY GOSH! You have to tell me all the details. Did you meet THE Bulma Briefs? How does she look in person? Is she married? Does she really have blue hair?"

Gohan glanced around in mild panic but, to his relief, everybody was busy with their own tasks. _Glad nobody heard that._ Then he shared an uneasy glance with the remaining duo who only gave him an apologetic look.

 _What'd I gotten myself into?_ Gohan questioned himself before finally looking towards the bubbly blonde who had an expectant look on her face.

-ooooooo-

Ten minutes of questions and answers later which mostly involved about Bulma's fashion sense – hair, clothes and some other … err… embarrassing things, Erasa was totally satisfied, the dazed look on her face with a smile was a definite giveaway.

Shaking his head, Gohan looked towards his other two friends who were definitely waiting with their own questions. _At least she isn't glaring._

Videl definitely wanted to sate her curiosities but after seeing him survive through Erasa's interrogation, she decided to mellow down a bit.

"So, Gohan… ", The demi-Saiyan nodded, "how did you manage to grab an apprenticeship in the most innovative corporation in the world?"

"Yeah. It's totally surprising for someone coming from the middle of nowhere. No offense."

Gohan waved the muscleful blond. "None taken. As for the apprenticeship, two years ago, Cc had invited applications from aspiring scientists around the globe. Innovative ideas, theories, designs; anything was welcome. I sent mine and was selected." That was totally true. What wasn't that the whole affair was just to rope him into the Cc as his mom was too proud to ask for any help from any of his father's friends. It could have been done more simply but that was Bulma for you. That woman did nothing short of grand.

"And what did you send them?" Videl asked with a raised eyebrow. It wasn't daily that you came to know that your new friend managed to come on the top of the list of thousands of aspiring people to become a part of Cc.

"The theoretical designs of some new hovercrafts, reduction of gas emissions among some other things."

"Cool," Sharpener nodded amazed, "So, those designs remained just theories or what?"

"Nope. They were totally worked upon and mass produced. Videl's jet-copter is one of them." Being a part of Cc since he was a kid, he had learnt a lot of things and by the time he was sixteen, he was already helping in some projects.

"Wow! That's simply amazing. My jet-copter is one of the finest there in the market and to know someone of my age was involved in the production…" Videl trailed off with a smile on her face.

"Yeah books. Your future is like totally brighter than the bulb in my room." Gohan chuckled at the absurd comparison but nodded nonetheless.

"So, is it still going? The apprenticeship, I mean."

Gohan was about to reply affirmatively to the dark haired girl but stopped when Erasa immediately snapped his gaze towards him, the gaze of a predator in her eyes setting off the alarms in his head. "Uh… No. It ended a few months before the school."

He felt slightly guilty at the disheartened look on the ever-cheerful girl's face, but he couldn't afford anymore squealing and another barrage of questions from Erasa for the time being. _I will definitely take you guys there. Just give me a little more time_.

The bell rang indicating the end of the lunch period and the four picked up their belongings and proceeded towards the school building.

"Hey Gohan… ", The demi-Saiyan turned his head towards Videl, "Are you free after school?"

"Apart from the homework, I guess I am."

"Great! So you can spare a trip to Banana Island, right?"

Confusion dawned over Gohan's face immediately. "A trip? You mean for a picnic or something?"

"Well, Duh! so much for the smartest kid in the school." Gohan chuckled nervously, confused though not at all minding the words of the tall blonde. _Think Gohan think. What is there on Banana Island?_ The demi-Saiyan had just begun to think when Videl beat him to it.

"Banana Island holds one of the three jails of Orange Star city. My dad was sentenced there. Every friday we make a trip to visit him. Since you're also our friend, I decided to ask you."

Mr Satan - that man totally trapped himself in the world of lies. Even now Gohan couldn't help but pity him. Sure the man had made a huge blunder but in his eyes everyone deserved a second chance. _Though it's only ten years. It could have been worse had we not requested King Furry._

He knew that Mr Satan was in jail but which one; that he hadn't bothered to check. And now, Videl was asking him to accompany them on the trip. _Our friendship has definitely improved_.

"Ah… Videl, I am really glad that you consider me a good friend but I believe this is a personal matter and I don't want to, you know, impose. I mean, you guys have practically been a family since kids and I…"

Videl stopped Gohan with her hand. "First of all Gohan, we are friends…"

"And we stick through everything," Erasa chimed in with a pleasant grin.

"Totally," Sharpener concluded.

"... Secondly, My dad also kinda wanted to meet you."

Mr. Satan wanted to meet him? That was totally unexpected. He didn't even know Mr Satan. _Who am I kidding? Everybody knows Mr. Satan._ But he didn't know the man enough to warrant a meeting that too called by the afro-haired man himself.

"Really?" Erasa jumped in with a knowing smile and a glint in her eyes.

"Ugh! Not that Erasa, "The blue eyed girl groaned in annoyance.

 _Why is Erasa smiling at Videl?_ Gohan watched their interaction in confusion before chalking it up to another one of the girls' matters and voiced the question in his head. "Your dad wants to meet… me? Sorry I don't understand."

"There is nothing to understand Gohan. It's just that these two… ", Videl gestured towards Sharpener and Erasa, "... are my only friends since childhood. So Dad was a bit surprised on hearing that someone else managed to find his way in the group. Moreover, I think he also wants to meet the person who doesn't judge his daughter from his actions." A slight smile found its way on the dark haired girl's face as she finished.

 _Oh that's the reason_.Though, he could totally understand the man as well as relate to him. His mom was always worried whether he would be able to find some good friends of his age whom he could trust with his secrets. It was definitely worse for Mr Satan whose daughter had to take the brunt of his actions.

"So, will you come?"

Why not? It wasn't like that he would lose anything. Further, if it would assure the man that his daughter was safe and he would always be there for her, there was no reason for him to not agree.

Gohan also felt a bit guilty for not helping the man more. Sure due to their request, Mr Satan's sentence was reduced considerably but he always felt that he could have done more. After all, he could, on some level, also relate to Videl; how it felt to live without your father. The blue eyed girl, though, didn't have her mother also.

"Sure," Gohan nodded with a smile.

-ooooooo-

 _Ugh! It's been only ten minutes._ Gohan groaned looking towards the wall-clock which was clearly mocking them by showing that fifty minutes were still left to the lecture.

His hands behind his head, the demi-Saiyan was totally bored. Glancing to his left, he saw Erasa drawing doodles on her notebook while the male blonde dozing off behind the cover of his book. Then his gaze shifted to the seat beside him which was empty, its occupant having had left to assist the police with some hostage situation.

Gohan hadn't gone because the chief had told Videl that these were some goons who only wanted to have a martial arts match with her, wanting to prove that they were better than her or something like that.

 _Boy they are in for a surprise._ Gohan knew the dark haired girl was easily the strongest human of her generation. And coupled with Ki training that she was receiving from Tien made her totally beyond the level of most of the humans - even with Ki. Moreover, he was keeping tabs on her; if required, he would simply whisk away to her location. Not that she would be happy with him. The girl was definitely proud as well as spirited. He considered himself lucky to get her as a friend.

 _I view Bardock as a future partner-in-life and all that._

Apparently she viewed him more than a friend. Slight blush appeared on his face. Those words – how many times had they flashed in his mind since the blue eyed girl admitted her feelings to him? The answer… every minute. The girl had taken an interest in his alter-ego but technically it was him. And despite being the son of Goku, he wasn't as clueless as his father regarding opposite sex.

 _Well, I certainly know marriage isn't a food_. Gohan chuckled to himself. Though, not easily able to understand the girls and their mood swings, he knew what dates and marriage entailed to. And, he knew that in a couple of years, he would be of marriageable age, and would have to marry – the only chance being if his mother had a sort of epiphany that marriage would distract her baby boy from his studies.

 _Maybe that can work_. Smiling slightly, he shook his head knowing that it wouldn't be that easy. His mom had already started worrying for the past two years regarding her _grandbabies_ and her worries were also well-placed. His father had met her out of the blue and they had totally gotten along. She loved him very dearly; his father's tendencies as well as constant departures hadn't faded their bond. So, his dad was lucky. So was Vegeta. Though, Bulma always had the knack for extraordinary.

But there had been no girl of his age - apart from Lime who was more like a sister - who could fit in their crazy world; well unless he came to know Videl.

The blue eyed girl was totally something else. She had a will of rock, was proud – something Vegeta would wholeheartedly approve of – She was also kind, caring, honest and always willing to put the safety of others before her. He could imagine his dad, while biting a huge chunk of grilled meat, giving him a thumbs up as in his eyes, these qualities meant total approval.

Regarding his mom, well, she would agree on any girl with a good character and looks – Videl totally checked in both the categories.

 _But what about me?_ Gohan questioned to himself as it was his life… His musings halted when he sensed Videl's Ki halting mid-air and began descending.

Videl Satan had reached her destination.

-ooooooo-

Videl could see the barricade erected around the jewellery showroom, the cops and media persons swarming the place. From her position in the sky, She could also make out a horde of civilians flocking the barricade. Any other time, it would have panicked her as these situations had the tendency to teeter into dangerous territories, especially with all the civilians presenting a good leverage over her and the cops but not today.

If anything, she was more thrilled and nobody could blame her. God knew, Videl Satan lived for action, and these situations effectively served for that – not that she wished for them to happen. However, after the entire conspiracy of Cell games came into light, several things had changed in her life.

 _I am highly disappointed in the police department of this city. The force possess all the tools and means to work against crime; the officials are paid high salaries to compensate for the risk but what I find that Orange Star city police force isn't taking any risks at all, instead resorting to young Videl for even the most frivolous of tasks._

King Furry had practically chewed out the police department when her achievements were brought into light as a defence in the petition against her. The anthropomorphic king was right though. The police force had definitely been slacking and totally dependent on her for the couple past years.

Now, the chief rarely called her; this being the third time in the last two months. The mustached man, having had taken King's words seriously, had asked Yamcha - the martial artist-cum-baseball player to train the cops.

 _At least they can wash their own laundry now_. True, the cops were becoming competent by learning martial arts but she wasn't totally excited about her reduced work. Hence the reason, she made it sure to milk out of it the most every time.

Halting over the top of the ground zero, Videl began lowering her jet-copter. In no time, she landed the aircraft, and after capsulizing it, she walked over to the chief. "Hello Chief."

"Ah, Videl," The white mustached man greeted her with a relieved smile, "I am really glad you made it. God knows, how tiring it was to prevent these idiots from taking any drastic action."

Videl glanced towards the front of the showroom where Teddy and his two goons were standing haughtily. "Are they really asking for a martial arts with _me_?" _Even after all the beatings I have given them in the past._

"Yeah, they have been boasting about it since the moment we arrived; about how they are going to best you with Crane style of martial arts."

And just like that, Videl's demeanor changed, a rather serious expression forming on her visage. "Crane style, huh?"

The chief nodded, weaving his hand on his well-kept mustaches. "We tried to do it ourselves but it seems that my men have a long way ahead; they were easily defeated."

 _That wasn't unexpected_. Videl knew the police force wasn't skilled enough yet to take on the leader of Red Shark Gang by themselves. But this was the least of her concerns. Major being, how did Teddy came to know the Crane Style? Who taught him? Because she certainly knew, Tien didn't. _Well only one way to find out._

"Don't worry, Chief. Let me handle it." Nodding, the man stepped aside and taking it as her cue, she strode towards the front of the barricade, the cops parting out of her way. No later, she was standing in front of the showroom, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Vell, Vell, Vell… ", Teddy stepped forward and started descending the stairs, "If it izn da champion of frauds' daughter."

Videl simply glared at him, not at all rising to the bait.

"Not gonna say anything, _girly_ ," Teddy stepped down the last stair and took his place in front of Videl before smirking, "Tho, once am done vid ya, ya won't be able to say anything."

"Last time I checked, you were the one dropped like a sack of potatoes and even before that," A smirk formed on her face, "No, wait. Before that you were _begging_ for mercy, remember?"

The raven haired man narrowed his eyes before chuckling. "I really like yer guts but don't worry, thiz time it'll be totally different."

"Really," Videl cocked an eyebrow, "Because you said the same words five months ago."

"True. But unlike yer fraud of a father, a real martial arts master can do wonders in five months."

Videl again ignored the insult, hoping to make the most out of this conversation. "Oh. And who might _this real martial arts master_ be?"

Teddy's smirk widened greatly. "Who else? Master Shin of Crane school of martial arts."

 _I should have known_. Videl berated herself. _Who else was it gonna be?_ Tien had told her of the history of crane school; how it came into origin, and about Master Shin; how that man's unhealthy rivalry with Turtle school had led him to include the ways of assassins and mercenaries in his school. It was definitely a shady part of the school's history but it was related to its origins.

However, if this fool was thinking that by learning martial arts from some old man would assure his victory then he had another thing coming. It wasn't a secret in both the Crane schools – among the veterans – that Tien had long surpassed his own master. So, she was learning from the best.

"Hmm… " Videl let her arms drop to her side, indicating her desire. "Why don't we test how much have you learnt?"

The smirk on his face morphed into an ugly grin. "Very vell," He motioned to his two men, "Get 'er."

 _Of course it's always the lackeys first._ Nevertheless she was ready, though not finding any need to settle into her stance.

The first one – a tall, well built and white skinned guy – rushed at Videl. Clearing the distance, he cocked his arm and with a loud yell swung at her.

Only to stop cold when his face met the hard sole of her shoes, the girl having had lobbed a straight kick at the exact moment. The brute staggered a bit before collapsing on his back.

Videl gracefully bent her leg from the knee joint before placing it nimbly on the ground. As soon as she did though, the next guy – average built, fair skinned and the same height as her – was upon her. However, she was ready.

Sidestepping towards her right, she dodged the crudely thrown punch. A kick to his gut left him doubled over, and an elbow on his head immediately rendered him unconscious.

Turning towards the group boss, she asked smugly, "If that's the result of your training, I already feel sorry for you."

However, Teddy simply chuckled. "C'mon _Videl_ , you of 'ol shoulda know that these guys are fodder. Don worry tho, I'll be da one to beat ya." Teddy immediately settled into his stance.

 _In your dreams idiot._ However Videl's jaw parted in surprise when she saw Teddy settling into Crane style of martial arts…

 _Literally…_

Body erect like a pole, arms stretched in the form of a line with hands hanging limply at the ends and one leg upraised to his waist; Teddy was totally resembling a crane.

 _I took some liberties and made some changes to the stance. The previous one was a bit… err… different._

Videl couldn't agree more with Tien. In fact, she was really glad that her master had remodeled the stance. _There's no way I would have gone with this; legendary stance or not._ But it was time, this fool learnt which was the better stance of the two.

Parting her legs and placing one behind another, she slightly crouched. Raising one hand behind her head, she bent her forearm such that her palm was directly over her head. Then she brought her remaining arm in front of her face, her forearm perpendicular from her elbow and palm facing forward, before giving the final touch by curling her fingers in form of claws.

As if on cue, Teddy dashed forward and Videl – as taught by Tien – waited for her opponent to reach her. Teddy, on reaching the dark haired girl, slammed his palm towards her face which Videl immediately parried with her own, the sound of a clap echoing at the point of impact. Immediately, she tried to clasp his hand in hers but the raven haired man hastily slid it down.

 _So, he isn't all talk. His speed has also improved for his skill level._ The blue eyed girl immediately cut her musings and crouched under the kick aimed for her face.

Though, Teddy didn't pull his leg back, instead attempted a couple of kicks at her face, her chest and last one at her throat.

However, Videl was quick and blocked them with her forearm but sidestepped the last one such that it went over her shoulder and immediately she clasped onto it with her arm. Then she smirked.

"I am going with the same attack as last time." Not giving him any time to react, she kicked him hard on his family jewels and he screamed like a girl before dropping out cold.

 _To think these idiots would learn from last time_. Videl shook her head at the sheer stupidity. She also registered some claps and cheers from the public. Though, she couldn't help but savour it all yet at the same time she knew it was a far cry from the status quo ante. However, she wasn't much bothered by these things anymore. Tien had taught her well.

"Thank you Videl," The blue eyed girl turned towards the chief, "We'll take it from here."

"Are you sure? I can help with the hostages."

The chief waved her off. "Hostages were never in danger. They were just tied and locked in a room and only entry to the showroom was blocked by them."

Videl nodded in understanding. "Alright. Later Chief." Bidding him farewell, she de-capsulized her copter and took off towards the school.

-ooooooo-

Gohan shook his head in slight amazement. _She is really something else._ He had been keeping tabs on the fight. There were three guys who had at least double the amount of Ki than the police officials whom he knew had started training recently. And as usual, she easily disposed them off.

If there were any lingering doubts in his mind about her, they were now clear. She was the best option for him; not that he had anyone else.

Though, he knew that if anything were to happen between them, he would have to come clean with his secrets. _Guess I'll invite them over the weekend._

The bell rang indicating the end of the school and he followed the blond duo for the trip to Banana Island.

-ooooooo-

Sorry for the delay. Aside from the reasons I mentioned, I also began reading some dbz fanfics to improve the quality of my writing. However, after reading the quality of work of these stories, I felt demoralised. It took a couple of weeks to find the motivation.

Next chapter features Mercenary Tao Pai Pai - thanks to **devilzxknight86** for giving me the right character for the next chapter.


	8. The Champ and The Mercenary

**Disclaimer** :- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products.

 **Note: Due to a glitch in FFN, I was forced to delete and re-upload chapters 5 to 9. I apologize for the inconvenience.**

-oooooo-

"I thought Videl lived in a mansion?" Standing across the street, Gohan had his gaze fixed upon the yellow-coloured, moderate-sized double story house. Videl wanted to pick up some things for her father so the dark-haired girl had made a detour to her house. However, this wasn't what he had expected.

Erasa blinked twice as her mind registered and processed Gohan's words before she turned towards him. "Are you serious?"

"Uh… " _What did I say?_ As far as Gohan knew, his question was totally harmless _… Right?_

"Seriously Gohan," Erasa groaned. "You really need to stay in the loop with what's goin' on in the world. Other than studies, you're as clueless as a rock."

 _Though I could've lived without that, but now I totally know what I asked was something not really smart. But what?_ Gohan raked his mind while repeating his question but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything wrong. Finally, he gave up and chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

Sharpener chuckled seeing the all-too-familiar reaction. "Ya know, If I didn't know any better, I would say that you've been living in caves before joining the school, _mountain boy."_

Erasa shook her head. "Anyway, to answer your question, Videl no longer lives in her mansion 'coz it was a gift to her dad from the state and was confiscated when the truth came out."

 _Oh…_ The demi-Saiyan couldn't stop the embarrassment that flared on his cheeks. How could he miss something like this? _Come to think of it, didn't King Furry made it a public knowledge at the arena?_ Truly, he really needed to update himself. _Or as Erasa said 'stay in the loop' - Whatever that means._

Deciding that, Gohan shifted his gaze towards the house as another thought invaded his mind. There was nobody in the house apart from Videl. In fact, the dark-haired girl was the one to unlock the gates. "So, she lives by herself?"

"Yeah. She doesn't have any siblings. Same with her father," Erasa shrugged. "There's nothin' to worry bout that. A lot of people have similar livin' arrangements."

That much was true. A lot of teenagers were living alone for studies and all that. Gohan himself had used the same excuse, but it was different for Videl. Whereas he had a family back home, the blue-eyed girl was totally by herself. "It must get lonely."

"It does," Gohan snapped his head towards Videl who was now walking towards them, her gaze fixed upon him. "Sometimes, I wish my mom were here, or I had a sibling… "

 _Geez! I actually spoke that one._ Gohan felt slightly embarrassed at his blunder, and Videl hearing his thought only added to that.

"... But it's better this way." The demi-Saiyan blinked hearing that, confusion replacing the embarrassment on his face which was not at all missed by Videl. "The mansion was just that – A mansion. But this," Videl pointed towards her house. "is home."

"... Huh?" _Aren't they, in a way, one and the same thing?_

 _Well, I can't say that was unexpected._ Videl mused to herself, not at all surprised by the reaction. If anything, she was slightly amused. No matter how advanced in studies the spiky haired boy was, when it came to day to day knowledge, he would always be lagging. "What I mean, that this place holds memories which are special to me. I was born and raised here. Back then, I had a real family: I and my parents; those were really good times."

A slight forlorn expression made its way on Videl's face. "Everything went down after Cell Games. All the fame and money changed my dad, and not for good. Mom left due to his augmenting flaws. Even though, I had a whole lot of servants to look after me, it wasn't the same; They weren't family, and Dad… he was rarely home. So, as I said, it's better this way." She summed up with a half-hearted shrug.

A couple of emotions ran through the demi-Saiyan's being – astonishment and admiration at Videl's guts. Despite everything, she was still strong. Living all alone in a city where wariness and distrust towards her were totally palpable, was definitely not an easy task, but the girl's confidence and will were unwavering.

Then there was guilt.

A more rational part of him knew that Mr Satan was his own culprit. The man brought it upon himself. However, a small part of him felt that in a way their group was also responsible for the dark-haired girl's status. This was the part he was sure he inherited from his dad – Son Goku always sought the best in everybody, even his enemies. _And I won't trade it for anything._

"We're also here for her," Sharpener added, jerking his head backwards, his hair falling in line due to the motion. "I live in the next street, and Erasa in next block. So it isn't a big deal."

"Yeah. In fact, it's easier to meet her now," Erasa also chimed in with no less joy on her face. "Back when she lived in the mansion, there were a lot of security checks. But now, we're only a call away."

"Thanks, guys," Videl acknowledged their support with a smile before stepping inside her copter. The blond duo grinned and followed. Seeing their interaction, Gohan too, couldn't help a smile on his face. Stepping inside the copter and taking a seat, he summed up his thoughts. "You're very brave, Videl."

The blue-eyed girl blinked before opening her mouth to reply but was cut short when a buff arm latched around her shoulders. Immediately, her face morphed into that of annoyance, the twitching left eye only substantiating it.

"Of course, she is. Who do you take my girl for?" The male blonde punctuated his words by firmly clasping his hand on the said girl's shoulder and bringing her into him.

The action only made Videl's irritation skyrocket, a vein began throbbing on her temple, and she simply raised her hand, and using the index finger and the thumb, pinched hard on his biceps.

A girlish shriek erupted from the blonde's throat, and he immediately rebounded his arm before gently blowing on it while rubbing on it in between, all the while muttering along the lines 'Sorry the meanie hurt you.'

"Serves you right," Videl immediately took off into the skies. Beside her, Erasa openly laughed at Sharpener's plight, and Gohan too drew a good-hearted chuckle at that. _It never gets old._

-oooooo-

 _BEEP… BEEP… 500 metres to the destination._

"That… was quick," Gohan couldn't help but note as the navigation system alerted them of their impending destination. The whole trip had taken barely twenty minutes.

"Well, duh! The jail is specifically for Orange Star city; its proximity is only natural."

Gohan nodded towards Sharpener in understanding before looking out of the window beside his seat.

As their plane was descending, he could easily see a good-sized island, the edges of which were cleared obviously for parking as he could make out a couple of vehicles. Then there were trees – a lot of them – forming a sort of middle layer around a wide clearing in which there was an oval-shaped huge building. To add to it, the entire island was surrounded by sea for as far as he could see.

No later, they landed on the outer clearing and stepped out of the plane before Videl capsulized it. Then she looked over her shoulder. "Gohan," The demi-Saiyan looked at her. "In case you're wondering why we landed here, the area from the forests and beyond is no-fly zone; ya know for security purposes."

Gohan nodded. "Ah… thanks for telling," _Besides it's obvious this is the parking area._ Though he knew better than to voice that. "But I had something else on my mind. This… " he gestured around. "... place is quite big."

"Well, from what my dad told me, there are around three thousand inmates in this jail; the size is only corresponding."

"Woah! Three thousand!," Gohan was totally floored by the number; finding it hard to believe that so many people were into crime. _But Videl knows better due to her father._ "Here I used to think with Mr Satan here, it was the safest city in the world."

By now, they were entering the forest line.

If it were anybody else, Videl would've thought the remark was meant to be offensive but she knew the spiky-haired boy was totally genuine. "Dad's status, and then my assistance to the cops definitely helped, but seven years aren't enough to tackle decades worth of crime."

"No way it was that bad," Gohan exclaimed in shock but the expressions on their faces didn't waver. "... Right?" Still no change. "B-but how? Where were the cops? The authorities? It's a developing city."

Sharpener scoffed, crossing his arms behind his head. "That's the deal. Before Cell Games, the city was underdeveloped implying poor emergency services but basic transport facilities like trains were there. These conditions were just too perfect for the crime syndicates."

The blond looked towards Gohan. "After Cell Games, there was massive immigration from all over the world; everyone wanted to live in the same city as the world saviour. It all happened too quickly for the authorities."

"And, then there was no need," Erasa carried over. "At least that's what the authorities believed. With Videl's dad and later Videl herself helping the police, a common belief was that any additional security wasn't needed at all. I think the rest is self-explanatory."

 _It really must be a dream come true for drug lords and crime bosses._ Gohan remembered reading when Dr. Briefs had invented hover cars and later Dyno-caps, West City had become the top place for everything: studies, jobs – just name it.

With the pooling of resources into a single place, the rest of the world was bound to watch from the sidelines. _Come to think of it, Red Ribbon Army also flourished during that period._

The next few steps were taken in utter silence. Gohan, in the wake of it, began observing his surroundings.

There were grown trees – impressive in height and width – all around them. All in all, it resembled a dense forest. The only thing that made it different was a man-made pathway on which they were currently traversing.

As they reached near the clearing, Erasa giggled thus breaking the silence and drawing the attention of others. "Videl," The blue-eyed girl glanced at Erasa though the amusement on her visage indicated she already knew whatever the blonde girl wanted to say. "You remember, don't you?"

Videl nodded which only accentuated the huge smile on her face. Beside Gohan, Sharpener started sulking. All this made the demi-Saiyan very curious. "Uh… something I should know?"

"Oh, yes, yes," Erasa exclaimed, again giggling. "Well, as you know, Sharpy is very _clingy_ to Vi," The blonde girl ignored the indignant 'hey'. "What happened was that two weeks ago, we're returning to the parking lot after meeting Vi's dad when, at this place, Sharpy resorted to his antics, and we know he's persistent," She again stifled a laugh.

"But suddenly, out of nowhere, two guards dropped from the trees. Vi and I were totally caught off guard and by the time we realised, they had already cuffed Sharpy and were about to charge him with an offence of assault. It took some explanations and only then we're able to get him free. It's the reason he's keeping to himself now."

Erasa openly laughed after that and Videl too chuckled in amusement. Sharpener's sulking only increased which drew a grin from Gohan. _I can totally imagine that._ Though, Gohan's thoughts were focused more on the 'guard - dropping' part.

Extending his senses, he realised what the blonde girl was hinting at. He sensed multiple Ki among the trees and what was more surprising that these Ki were thrice as strong as an average human. _It's just like that movie – Shinobi something._

The demi-Saiyan was totally impressed by the security measures taken on the island. Outer parking lot, a no-fly zone and using the trees as a cover – It was simply amazing. Further, as they neared towards the red-coloured building, he could also see heavy guns mounted on the top of the building.

Taking some moments to take in the top of the building, Gohan lowered his gaze and immediately stopped. Videl who was left to him, noticed this and also stopped before looking towards him. Seeing his gaze fixated on something, she followed it only to end up with a twitching eye.

 _Damn your curiosity, Gohan._ The spiky-haired boy was looking above the huge blue gates of the building where in blue bold letters was written – THE HERCULE SATAN JAIL.

 _We could've never thought he'd be the one ending here._ When her dad had got this jail constructed as a part of his annual charity programme, alike other things, he got it named after himself. However, when the truth came out, it was the only structure whose name wasn't changed.

 _Hercule is the luckiest prisoner; he'll have a jail created by himself as well as named after himself._

The idiots in charge of jail had mocked her dad when he was brought here. Per their twisted sense of humour, it was most fitting. _But there's no way in hell I'm explaining it to Gohan._

"Uh… Vid–" Gohan wisely shut his mouth when the blue-eyed girl directed one of her many glares at him. This one read 'I know what you want to ask' and 'Don't ask, it'll be dangerous to your health'. Needless to say, survival instincts overrode curiosity.

With Videl taking the lead, they reached the barricade erected from several metres to the gate. A room – more like a ticket counter – was constructed where Videl stepped forward. "Here to meet Mark Hercule Satan."

The guard behind the window nodded. "Alright. State your names, contact numbers and line up for the photograph."

Videl already knowing the task, just did as told. Erasa was next followed by Sharpener, and last was Gohan. The guard entered the data into his computer and after taking the last photo which was of Gohan, voiced. "Two in a group and fifteen minutes per group."

Videl again nodded, and with Erasa in line, again took up the lead. Ambling towards the room marked as 'Waiting Area', they entered, and immediately Videl voiced. "Erasa, Sharpener, you go first, meanwhile I'll give Gohan a briefing."

The blondes nodded before turning and walking towards the other end of the waiting room.

"Now, Gohan," The demi-Saiyan gave full attention. "We'll get limited time once we get there so it's better I brief you here only," Gohan nodded.

"So, we'll enter through that door," Videl pointed to the blue door through which Erasa and Sharpener were entering. "Inside, there's a long hallway. A soundproof glass wall separates the inmates and visitors. For conversations, there are landlines; just pick the receiver and talk."

"Alright," Gohan understood that it wouldn't have been good if Videl had to waste a better part of their already limited time in explaining to him how things worked.

As they began waiting for their turn, Gohan voiced something he wanted to know from the beginning. "So… how's it in there? Jail, I mean."

"Well, it's a jail so there are just necessities – a fan, water and a mattress to sleep on in a small room. There's a gym but martial artists aren't allowed to use that; neither are they allowed to practise the art. For fitness, they can do light workout, ya know, like jogging and all that. Aside that, the only big issue relates to food."

"Food?!" Did he really hear that right? _But how could someone even think to mess with food?_ Gohan didn't even want to fathom the strange thought. Didn't they know food was a divine blessing to them? Not even the Kais were privileged to the honor of such delicacies.

"Yeah," Videl continued, not noticing Gohan's plight. "Not only the lunch is missing," She went on, oblivious to how Gohan's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "The other two meals are barely cooked and–" A strong breeze flashed in the room causing Videl to halt and start looking around. "Weird. This room is totally closed."

Her comment brought the demi-Saiyan to his senses, and he immediately unclenched his fists while breathing in and out. The winds immediately died down. _Geez! I was careless._

However, this was **_FOOD_** they were talking about, and any inadequacy related to that was pure and utter BLASPHEMY! A look of pure determination appeared on the demi-Saiyan's face. _This can't be excused. I must talk to Bulma._

Any further conversation halted when the door opened and the blond duo stepped out. With a grin on her face, Erasa practically glided to them. "C'mon! Quick! He's waitin' for ya."

Videl simply rolled her eyes, too used to the blonde's antics, and strode towards the open door with Gohan in suit.

As Gohan entered the room which he observed was same as Videl described, his eyes, for the first time in six months, landed on the figure behind the glass wall and slightly widened.

Before him stood Hercule Satan, clad in a total white loose shirt and equally white pants, his body frame thinned considerably and the wisps of white hair in his afro were a dead giveaway that the man had seen better days.

-oooooo-

Any doubts that he had regarding the identity of the boy who had 'appeared out of nowhere and become a great friend' – as put by Videl – totally vanished. _Though he isn't blonde now._

Hercule could easily recognise that face anywhere. Even if the boy had short but still spiky hair, the face was the same as he had seen seven years ago. Though, back then, there was a slight difference due to age but now… it was as if Son Goku himself was standing before him – minus the hair.

 _Now, all I have to do is convince him to help me._ Putting the thought aside, Hercule grinned as Videl picked the receiver. Following the suit, he picked his own piece. "Heya, Sweetpea."

"Hey dad," Videl smiled. "You good?"

Immediately adopting the 'Champ mode' – brave face and hands-on-hips – Hercule all but declared. "Do you think something like this can affect the CHAMP?"

Videl smiled but shook her head. "Nope."

"Damn right. The Champ is the… STTTRONGGEST… BWAHHHAHA!" For a final touch, he brought one of his hands and flashed a victory sign.

The smile on her face blossomed into a beautiful laugh, and the sight totally made his day. Nowadays, his bravados were just meant to serve this purpose: to see the smile on his sweetpea's face. _Sadly, It took a trip to jail for me to realise how much was I missing._

Back when they lived in their old home, they were a real family, but after Cell Games, all that fame and money took priority in his life. _And, I pushed them away._ It was only in jail, the reality struck him like a blow to his gut; he wasn't alone for the last six months but… Seven years.

Taking a couple of moments to savour her melodious laugh and happy face, Hercule, still smiling, asked. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Martial Arts and school still take my time."

Hercule nodded. "About school, how's study?"

"It's… alright? I guess," Videl shrugged. "What can I say, maths and science are still boring. History is everything but practical. The only useful thing is martial arts."

Hercule found himself nodding. "I know right. All that asquare is equal to bsquare and H2O makes water always went over my head, and don't even get me started about history; I mean learning about a bunch of dead guys… " He shook his head. "But martial arts… it's in our blood. It comes naturally to us Satans."

Videl nodded fervently before Hercule decided to go with the usual question in their conversation. "Uh… Videl, "The blue-eyed girl looked curiously at him. "Do you need any… money? I can ask…" He halted when Videl calmly raised a hand, her face firm. _She just looks like you, Mary._

"Dad," Videl began, her voice firm and commanding. "I've told you many times, I've enough to keep going for years. You're only worried 'coz we don't have the billions like before, but you know very well, I never needed them. For me, the money you _earned_ at 25th tournament is more than enough."

Try as he might, Hercule couldn't fault his daughter's reasoning. He had long known that Videl wasn't like the usual girls of her age who were obsessed with money, fashion and all that. She was simple to the core. Hell, even in the biggest of events, she only wore the same clothes as now – a baggy white shirt and bicycle shorts.

For that, the five million zennies he had won at the tournament and the remnants of the money he had earned from his dojos would totally suffice.

 _BEEP… BEEP… BEEP..._

 _What?! Ten minutes passed just like that?_ And, he had yet to talk to the boy. Stopping his thought train, he breathed. "So, he's your new friend."

"Yeah," Videl shifted her gaze towards Gohan who was silent till now. "His name's Gohan." As if reading his thoughts, She handed the receiver to Gohan who hesitantly took it before placing it on his left side with both hands – as if he was nervous.

 _Well, that's new._ Mentally shrugging, Hercule put on a smile. "Hey Kid."

"Umm… Hello Mr. Satan."

 _Woah! Respect?_ Hercule would have understood if it were six months ago; hell he would have literally demanded it but now…

 _We don't have to continue this senseless fighting. There is no need for this violence._

 _Well that happened, didn't it?_ Of course the kid would respect him after all it was the same kid who even gave a chance to _Cell_ of all. Seriously, it was unbelievably surprising that such a kid existed in their world – so much power yet humble to the roots. _And, I took credit from him._

Overwhelming guilt tried to seize his soul, but he shook it away. _This is my chance._ "Listen, Kid," Gohan looked attentively. "First of all, I… uh… want to apologise for everything. I… "

"Mr. Satan," Hercule halted allowing Gohan to speak. "You don't have to apologise. Mistakes happen. Everyone makes them," Hercule took note as a smile appeared on Videl's face hearing the kid's words. _Interesting._ "Besides, this is the first time I am meeting you in person. I… uh… never took interest in your dojos or all that." Gohan finished with an awkward chuckle while rubbing the back of his head.

 _What? Why is he thinking… Oh!_ "No, No. It isn't like that…"

"Huh? It isn't?" Gohan's face scrunched in confusion but only for a moment. "Wait. It's about Videl, right?" Hercule and Videl blinked in confusion. "Don't worry Mr. Satan. I won't stop being her friend for anything." Videl again beamed at his words.

 _Wh-what?_ Hercule wanted to laugh in joy at the sheer selflessness of this kid, and he would have if not for a shortage of time. _I need to get his attention._ "Kid, it's about Cell,"

The result was as he expected. Gohan's face morphed into that of utter disbelief, eyes widened. "I… I apologise for taking your credit, for demeaning you and your friends' sacrifices. I… I have no excuses for that."

"And in case you're wondering," _W_ _hich I know you're._ Hercule continued, not giving Gohan a chance to reply. "How I know your identity, well, back then, you guys were totally open with your names and all that. Though, don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Videl will learn it from you if and when you decide."

The relief that appeared on Gohan's face was akin to the weight that lifted from his heart on finally getting the entire thing out of his heart. _No. Not the entire thing. But if anybody can do it, it's him._

"Gohan, there's something I need your help with," Hercule spoke after a moment of silence. "It's the main reason I called you, and don't say anything, just nod. I don't want Videl to hear it," Gohan looked uncertain but nodded nonetheless. Hercule sighed. "Videl's... in danger."

-oooooo-

"So, what did dad say in the last?" Videl asked looking at Gohan, as they stepped out of the room.

 _If she asks, tell her…_

"Uh… that he's happy that we're friends but there's no way he will allow you to be with a… uh… a scrawny kid like me."

Videl rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, he'll approve only when someone can beat him, right?"

"Yeah. That too," Gohan chuckled weakly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, kudos to Bardock," Gohan blinked when he heard Erasa's remark before he and Videl looked towards the blonde. "He passes with flying colours."

A reddish hue appeared on Videl's cheeks at the remark. With the truth out, her dad's condition of 'someone stronger than him' didn't hold much weight; there were many guys stronger than him, and Bardock, she was sure, topped the list. So, Erasa was totally right and she was really glad for it. _But if only the world were black and white._

Videl was really okay with Bardock as her partner-in-life and all that but, at the same time, she knew it was just that – a wishful thinking on her part. She didn't even know what Bardock wanted; heck she hadn't even met him for once. "It isn't that simple, Erasa."

The blonde frowned. "What are you saying? Of course, it's simple. You both are made for each other."

"Really? And how do _you_ know that?"

Erasa opened her mouth but closed a moment later, pouting slightly. Videl shook her head and walked out of the waiting area.

"Ugh! This girl," Erasa groaned before storming after Videl.

 _Well, I really don't mind._ Gohan mused as both the girls left the waiting area before he felt Sharpener's hand on his shoulder and his intentions to drag him along which the demi-Saiyan allowed.

-oooooo-

They were walking in silence through the forests with Videl and Erasa in lead, the blonde still pouting. Then there was Sharpener, and Gohan himself was to the blonde's right but slightly behind thus forming the tail of the group.

 _So, how should I do this? Mr. Satan asked not to tell Videl, so…_ Gohan halted in his musings and suddenly looked to his right when his 'better than human hearing' picked up the tell-tale signs of something in motion towards them, the bifurcating air resulting in an almost inaudible sound.

Eyes narrowed, his hand shot up and intercepted the projectile before he glanced at the trio ahead of him who were still going on. Sighing in relief, he opened his fist and his eyes slightly widened.

There was a bullet, and judging from the motion, it was aimed at Videl. _So, it's happening._

 _"Videl's life is in danger, and the one to blame is… me. Someone is after her due to my actions. The police chief informed me of this; his men are also on the lookout, but they are incompetent," Hercule sighed. "I didn't want to tell Videl because we both know how she is."_

 _Gohan found himself nodding. The blue-eyed girl would try to tackle the problem head-on rather than accepting anybody's help._

 _"I was at my wit's end; not knowing what to do when Videl suddenly mentioned you. I immediately knew, if anybody can do it, it's you."_

Gohan's musings were cut short when his senses slightly tickled…

"Your skills will only make it more interesting."

A figure landed before them, the words having already stopped the group of four. Gohan looked up and his visage turned serious. Standing before them was…

"Tao Pai Pai," Videl muttered, not hiding the surprise, shock and a bit of fear on her face.

"The… mercenary?" Sharpener asked, almost taking a step back.

"Ho! My reputation preceding my profession; that's new," Tao nodded to himself. "Usually it's the other way around."

"W-what are you doing here? And where are the guards?" Videl looked around, asking the question thus summing up the thoughts on everyone's mind.

Gohan once again extended his senses as Videl mentioned the guards. A shocked expression immediately overcame his face as he sensed nothing. Fists forming into balls, the demi-Saiyan realising that Tao had just killed… _Wait!_ Something brushed along the edges of his senses. Pushing his senses further, he felt the Ki of the guards in the vicinity and sighed in relief. _They are just unconscious._

"What do you think? I am an assassin and here for my latest target which is," Tao pointed towards Videl."... _You."_

 _What?!_ Videl's whole body seized in for a second. _Why the hell he's after… right. Dad._ Nevertheless, she knew she didn't stand a chance against Mercenary cyborg looking man was a master martial artist; 'only limited by the amount of Ki' – Tien's words.

 _Funny, how times have changed._ If it were six months ago, She would have just declared Tao a trickster and rushed towards her death sentence. However, now, due to Ki being a public concept, she knew better than that, and, from the info of other Ki users she had gained and shared with her friends, they knew Tao Pai Pai was deadly and stronger than them.

A hand clenched her forearm. A glance to her left showed Erasa shaking, her eyes wide. Behind her, Sharpener was trying but failing to hide the fear on his face. Next to the blonde, Gohan's face was also full of concern.

 _They are depending on me._ The gravity of the situation made itself known. True, she was used to this kind of situations, but without her friends. Protecting civilians was one thing; she cared for them too but it didn't change the fact that they were strangers. However, these three…

"You really did a number on Teddy and his goons; I was impressed and took the contract," Tao voiced, halting Videl in her thoughts.

Videl blinked. "You… were there?"

Tao nodded with a smirk. "Indeed. I wanted to know if you're really worth my time. Actually, I didn't expect much from Teddy but your skill is unquestionable," Tao adopted a genuine expression. "If not for my contract, I would have gladly taken you as a student."

 _As if._ Moreover learning about this 'contract' took priority. "Who?" Videl all but demanded.

"Hmmm," Tao mused to himself, closing his eyes. "I guess there's no harm in letting you know. Consider it your dying wish," Eyes again opened, Tao fixed his gaze on Videl. "Jaguar, and now, we begin."

 _Guess, there's no way out._ Deciding to deal later with her dad's idiot rival if she survived, Videl glanced at her friends. "Sharpener, cover for Erasa and Gohan. I'll deal with him." _Or at least try to._

"What?! No way I'm gonna leave…"

"Cut it Sharpener. One of us needs to stay behind. Beside, it's a matter of Crane school."

Sharpener shut his mouth hearing Videl's last words. After mulling for a moment, he sighed but nodded. "Alright, but the moment things go south, I'm stepping in."

Videl accepted that with a nod before breathing in and out, recalling Tien's words in her mind.

 _When the odds are totally against you, a wise move is to begin as an amateur; your opponent may give you a free hit._

Tien also told that this was a one-in-hundred chance kinda thing, but Videl couldn't think of anything else. It was her best shot rather than waiting for her opponent to move and finish even before she knew.

Not wasting any moment, Videl darted towards the cyborg who was calmly waiting for her, his hands crossed behind his back.

Reaching him, Videl tried to strike the cyborg with an open palm which he very nimbly dodged by taking just a step back – which she was aiming for.

Immediately exploiting the right amount of distance between them, she launched a kick to where all men feared, hoping to blow out his fuses with most likely her best shot.

But to her utter dismay, the assassin simply joined his knees thus halting her kick as soon as launched. Not relenting, Videl crouched, leaning forward, and lobbed a punch to his abdomen.

Her eye twitched when Tao just bent forward such that their faces were only at a hand's length, her punch missing his abdomen by an inch. Gritting her teeth, she brought her other arm as an uppercut only to be blocked by Tao using his… _his_ … _TONGUE!_

 _Eww!_ Jumping back, Videl gained some distance before wiping her fist on her shirt, her glare aimed at her opponent.

Tao smirked. "Is this it? I'm not even trying."

That was true. She had decided to go all out from the very start but the old man… No, mechanically enhanced old man was just playing with her. _Damn it._ This wasn't good. _I need something else._

Taking in the surroundings in a single glance, the blue-eyed girl again rushed forward and launched a flurry of attacks on the still smirking Tao.

-oooooo-

Gohan mentally cringed as yet another one of Videl's attacks was dodged by Tao. The mercenary was rarely blocking an attack; most of the times he was just dodging it with the grace possessed by a master martial artist.

He couldn't even imagine how hard it would be for the blue-eyed girl who took martial arts as a passion. The short girl had the biggest pride next only to Vegeta.

Videl knew, from the way he had seen her body visibly tense, she wasn't even a match for Tao Pai Pai yet she wouldn't take it lightly if somebody interfered in her was one of the reasons he had decided to be a spectator rather than participating.

The demi-Saiyan wasn't worried about the battle, knowing that he could finish it anytime without even getting seen. Even that wasn't needed. The result would be the same as seven years ago even if he just revealed who he was. _Though, that's totally gonna happen._

Mainly, it were his secrets that were causing an internal conflict. The trio of friends had shared with him their group as well as secrets, but in return, he had given nothing. The knowledge that he was holding his own secrets and of such proportions would definitely destroy their budding friendship. _I can't afford that._

His musings halted as he saw Videl stopping in the mid of sweeping kick before hastily picking a fistful of… _wet soil?_ Yeah, definitely wet soil which she hurled at the mechanical eyes of the cyborg. _What's she doing?_

As the mercenary began to clear his now obscured vision, Gohan watched curiously as the dark-haired girl darted behind Tao before jumping over a low hanging branch of a tree and grabbing it while mid-flip before landing on the ground while pulling and holding the branch in both of her hands.

Gohan blinked before realization dawned upon his face which morphed into that of total surprise. _Amazing!_

Videl Satan had just played on the arrogance of Tao Pai Pai, and knowing that the mercenary would only dodge by moving, brought him close to the only area with wet soil and specific tree. _Still, it isn't enough._

It only took a second for Tao to clear his vision and as he began to turn, the dark-haired girl released the branch but as Gohan expected, Tao's hand shot up and reduced the branch to splinters.

"That was a dirty move," The smirk on Tao's face was nowhere to be seen. "It's time to end this." Immediately, the mercenary launched towards the still surprised girl, and though he was easily visible to the demi-Saiyan, Gohan knew the mercenary had all but vanished from the other's vision.

Videl gasped as Tao implanted his fist into her gut before the dark-haired girl fell down to her knees, clutching her abdomen. Tao's hand, which he had used as a fist, detached and hung down at his wrist, revealing a mechanical arm with a slit in the middle, from which a blade popped out.

 _It's now or never._ Gohan began to move…

"LEAVE HER ALONE, YA BASTARD!"

… But stopped when a baseball-sized stone was pitched at the mercenary at great speeds. Glancing towards the blonde beside him, he saw him standing still in the pitching motion.

Quickly, Gohan focused back on the mercenary who brought his other arm up, without even looking, hand detached and hanging limp from the wrist revealing the same canon as he had seven years ago, the only modification being four holes around it. _Must be from where the bullet was fired._

 _Whoosh!_

Bright yellow energy shot out from the cannon quickly engulfing the rock and shooting towards the blond who froze on the spot.

 _Shit!_ Gohan quickly blurred before the approaching blast and swatted it away, which exploded to their left in a loud explosion.

"Who are… wait! You… you are… " Gohan turned towards Tao who was looking at him with a shocked expression. Not wanting to drag it any further, Gohan nodded. "You remember me, don't you, Tao? I am Gohan, **Son** Gohan, son of…" _Here goes nothing._ " **Son Goku**."

Tao immediately recoiled, taking a step back, his visage fearful. The mercenary remained like that for a second before looking towards his left and jumping towards a tree.

Already knowing what was about to happen, Gohan quickly blurred behind Tao who was about to slash a tree. A chop to his neck and the mercenary dropped down cold. _There's no way I am allowing you to go. Who knows how many more will fall to your schemes._

-oooooo-

 _No… just no way…_ Though deny as much as she, her mind had already replaced those short spiky hair with long palm tree alike hair, and thus giving him the picture of the legend – Son Goku himself.

Moreover, the way he had just swatted that blast and then with the speed, he just blurred behind Tao before disposing of him in a moment, it was a dead giveaway. To believe Son Goku's legacy has been studying in the same school, same class but most of all he's their… friend… **_friend_** …

Anger and hurt brutally killed the brief surge of awe and excitement that rushed in her being. Son Gohan – the legacy of Son Goku had been their _friend_ for the past week; they had shared every single detail with him; hell, she had even told about her love interest and he…

 _"I don't like fighting…"_

 _Lies… total lies._ There was no way the son of one of the greatest martial artists… _Wait! Son Goku married to **ChiChi**_ … _that means…_ Immediately, her brain opened a deeper pit of information: Son Goku, ChiChi – _Gyumao ChiChi! The Ox Kingdom… and WAIT! Tien told that Bulma was their acquaintance – which translated to 'FRIEND'... CAPSULE CORPORATION!_ Of course, there was no apprenticeship…

"Videl!" Erasa crouched beside her, the blonde's concerned and slightly afraid voice diverting her attention. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes still fixated on the spiky-haired boy who was now turning towards them, Videl nodded before motioning to stand up. Erasa, always a caring friend, immediately obliged. Then she felt another arm around her. Glancing towards her right, she saw Sharpener also looking at their so-called friend, the muscleful blonde's face blank.

"... Umm… G-Guys?"

"Erasa, Sharpener," Videl, purposely speaking the names, fixed a glare at the culprit. "We're going."

-oooooo-

"We're going."

 _W-what? J-just like that?_ Panic flooded his being but Gohan forcibly shook it away. "Guys, please. I-I can explain."

Videl's glare didn't even waiver, she just motioned to turn away, and Sharpener, whose face was totally blank, quickly helped her. Only Erasa gave him an apologetic look.

 _This isn't happening._ In a moment of frenzy, Gohan rushed towards the trio who immediately took a step back as the demi-Saiyan practically blurred before them. "G-Guys, please let me explain. I-I wanted to tell you from the beginning, I was going to ask you to come to my place over the weekend. Then Tao came out of nowhere and then you were fighting and then I didn't get a chance and then I," Gohan shook his head, composing himself. "I'll explain, just… just please listen to me."

However, to his utter dismay, Videl just motioned and the trio walked around him.

 _Dammit! This isn't good. She isn't even listening._ Gohan raked his hand through his hair, trying to think of anything that could convince the dark-haired girl as it was clear the blonde duo would definitely follow her.

Though, try as he might, Gohan couldn't think of anything. He realised she wouldn't listen to him; to her, he was someone who lied to her, not someone she could trust, not someone she would be willing to listen. To her he was just Gohan - a liar who clashed with her morals of… honesty… _That's IT!_

Gohan looked towards their retreating backs. "Won't you give me a chance? ... A second chance _,"_ _Help me Dende_. "Bardock would… want you to."

The trio of friends stopped in their tracks. Erasa glanced back at him while Sharpener continued to look at Videl, obviously awaiting her response.

Finally, what seemed like an eternity, Videl looked over her shoulder, and Gohan almost recoiled at the intensity of emotions in those blue pools. "You want a chance? Fine. Tomorrow morning, your house." Her glare intensified. "It better be good."

Gohan could only nod weakly, sighing in relief that he could still salvage the situation. Standing there, he watched them walk away beyond the forestline before a yellow copter took off into the skies.

Sighing heavily, the demi-Saiyan lifted into the air before shooting towards his home, pondering over what the day of tomorrow would have in store for him.

-oooooo-

Please support and KINDLY REVIEW.

Sorry the chapter was a bit rushed.

Thanks to **Losthour** for suggesting Gohan's place for revealing secrets and all that.

Now there are some things that are widely thrown around in DBZ fandom which I would like to discuss.

 **Lowering the Ki makes the Saiyans equal to humans**

That is utter bullshit. You're forgetting Saiyans have lived on planet Vegeta with 10x gravity of earth; try to imagine living there. Won't it affect the density of your bones, your cells? Evolution is scientifically proved.

Though, this isn't my main argument. Let's talk about when Goku arrived on Earth. He had a PL of 2 – almost equal to a human baby. When he fell down the cliff which Gohan termed as fatal, he would have died, but he didn't. His survival was purely due to his heritage.

Then there is Bulma meeting Goku for the first time. Goku had a PL of 10 – which falls in the range of an average human who have PLs of 5 to 10. So, he must be equal to humans yet bullets didn't kill him. All in all, it was his Saiyan heritage.

 **Gohan getting hurt by Videl of all in a spar, she can draw his blood.**

C'mon it's the same Gohan who has taken planet busting attacks head on, punches from his father, Piccolo, Vegeta and many more. It isn't even feasible.

Next time I will talk about Dragon ball super; why I consider it's potential equalled to DBZ.


	9. Revelations - I

**Disclaimer** :- I don't own Dragon ball and related series or products.

A Big SHOUT OUT to **ZFighter18** for taking out time from his busy schedule and beta-reading it. He's super busy but I keep pestering him :D Anyway, it's a great learning experience whenever he works on the story.

 **Note: Due to a glitch in FFN, I was forced to delete and re-upload chapters 5 to 9. I apologize for the inconvenience.** If possible, Kindly use the browser for reading story. BY THE WAY, THE ISSUE IS RESOLVED.

-oooooo-

The lush green forests supported by a beautiful mixture of green and yellowish grasslands, and as if acting as a guardian over this otherworldly beauty, were the plateaus and other hilly structures; this was the view Videl, Sharpner and Erasa took in as far as the eye could see.

Erasa and Sharpner were totally awed by the breathtaking beauty of nature, their mouths hanging low and eyes shining in delight, the blonde girl was recording every sight in her Cc-cam.

 _I should've listened to dad._ Videl recalled every time her dad asked her to take a look at this view when they used to fly to Ox-King's annual ball, but on every journey, she just sat back in the jet, her mood sour due to her argument with her dad on what she should wear.

However, now, being the front seat spectator in the jet, she could easily see this perfect creation of nature, a strong urge arising in her to leave everything in the city and begin living here. _No wonder **he** adores the place._

Immediately, a frown appeared on her face, and her mind drifted to the memories of the day before. The whole Tao Pai Pai ordeal before discovering that her friend had lied…

 _"I can't believe it! How could he do this? Lying to us, especially Videl… " Sharpner, sitting in his seat, slammed the palm of his hand on his thigh, his face showing displeasure and flashes of anger._

 _Videl found herself nodding, the hurt and anger compounding even further. Even now, she had a hard time believing it that Son Gohan…_

 _"Cut him some slack, would ya? It's been only three days since he joined the school."_

 _Two pairs of eyes immediately shifted to Erasa, disbelief written boldly on the muscleful blonde's visage. "Are you seriously taking his side? And how does that even matter, ha?"_

 _Seeing Videl's face shifting into a frown, Erasa took it as a signal that at least she was understanding. "Oh for Kami's sake! Do you really expect him to brag about his father after being with us for just three days? Moreover, his family was never brought up. At least not directly."_

 _Sharpner too frowned. "But he knows about ours… " The words meekly coming out of his mouth indicating the blond was getting it._

 _"Correction: he only knows about Vi's dad, and you know why. He doesn't know about our families. Also, he has lived a sheltered life, never had friends of his age and on top of that, place him in the same place as Videl was when Mr. Satan was famous."_

 _Ok… not lied._ Erasa was right. Gohan didn't outright lie instead didn't tell them on his own. However, Videl could understand the reasoning behind that, being in Gohan's place just six months ago.

Son Goku was the only Ki using martial artist whose rapport wasn't as affected as the others' when her dad used to trash talk about them. During these last six months, the former WMAT champion's popularity shot off the charts. _I can easily imagine the paparazzi hunting for Son Goku's child._

However, there were some things that Gohan definitely lied about; a rented house, not knowing martial arts and that apprenticeship with Capsule Corp among the major ones. _And today, I'm going to get the answers one way or another. He…_

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Thoughts interrupted, Videl glanced at the cockpit, a screen the size of a tablet displaying the incoming call of police chief arising her curiosity. _Why is he calling me?_

Still curious as well as slightly confused, Videl pressed the green button. "Hello, Chief. I hope it isn't an emergency."

 _''Nothing like that Videl. I clearly know you're out of the town and that works for me… or rather the location you're at.''_

"An errand of a sort?"

 _''More like surveillance.''_

Any other emotions that were consuming her being were dwarfed by utter seriousness, the cop in her jumping into action. "I'm listening chief."

 _''For the past two weeks, reports have been there of increased movement into the city from the countryside at night… ''_

Videl found herself frowning, where an increased movement to the city was not something to be concerned about; migration for better opportunities and all that, but at night, it was definitely alarming.

 _''... And last week, one of our informants managed to capture a shot of one of the vehicles; the image was hazy but one thing was obvious… their insignia; it was a Red Shark but with a yellow bullet overlapping it… you get what I mean.''_

 _Yeah… it's troubling._ The Red Shark gang, Videl could understand but the yellow bullet… "What are the Snipers doing here?"

"Woah! You mean the gang in West city? The same Snipers?!" Sharpner jumped in, knowing the police chief wouldn't mind his interruption or the fact that he was listening to the information.

 _''Indeed. But what they are doing here is out of our reach but it's definitely troubling considering the resources they have at their disposal.''_

Videl couldn't agree more with the chief. The Snipers were as notorious as the red shark gang but what made them more dangerous was the advanced weaponry they had due to the city of their origin.

"But why use Mt Paozu? And how did they reach here without alerting the authorities?" Erasa who was silently listening till now, couldn't help the question knowing the security checks between two cities.

 _''We believe they arrived off-road… ''_

"Uhh… " The chief stopped and Erasa continued. "Pardon me chief, but even if they used jets, the radars would've definitely captured them."

"The radars only work in proximity to a city otherwise there would be a lot of traffic overlapping."

 _''Videl's right. We also suspect they used wheels for moving out of the city and jets to reach Mt Paozu before using the cover of mountains and night to reach the city.''_

"Nevertheless, this spells trouble," _In bold letters too._ The teen thought to herself worriedly. "Don't worry chief, I'll make sure to look for any such activity."

 _''Alright_ _, Videl. I know we can always count on you.''_ The chief hung up after that. _Okay. Time to gear up, Videl._ Deciding to take a look as she had a bird's eye view of the area, Videl tightened the hold on the steering handle before turning it to the right.

"Hey! Is that… Gohan?!" Sharpner exclaimed loudly, arm stretched and pointing towards the front.

Videl quickly halted in motion before undoing her action, the jet slightly jerking due to the motion. Two pairs of eyes turned in the direction the blonde male was pointing and immediately widened.

There was Gohan… actually _floating_ before them. Knowing was one thing but actually witnessing one of your associates able to use Ki and so effectively was stunning.

Slight jealousy reared its ugly head, but Videl immediately crushed it, knowing that the black-haired boy had a lot more experience than her in the area. _I'll definitely catch up to you. Just you wait._

Determination flooding her being, Videl began pulling the lever slowly, lowering the attitude when Gohan motioned for them to follow him.

"He sensed us, didn't he?" Sharpner muttered in amazement, immediately trying to find his Ki in the hope to imitate the raven-haired boy. Videl didn't reply, too focused on the figure landing in a small clearing while Erasa just shrugged.

Landing in the clearing, Videl didn't waste any time in getting out of the copter, the blondes following her, before capsulizing it and whirling around to focus on the spiky-haired boy, a glare already present on her face.

Erasa though was immediately drawn to his muscles, his sleeveless Gi totally helping her case, slight drool appearing on the threshold of her lips. _OMG! JUST LOOK AT THEM!_

"... Hey, guys," Gohan asked, breaking the silence but only Erasa nodded, the buxom blonde's eyes still drawn to his muscles while the other two just kept a straight face.

A couple of awkward seconds passed by silently before Gohan let out an awkward chuckle and began rubbing the back of his head. "Uhh… I hope the journey was fine."

Again, Erasa nodded once, this time smiling meekly while the other two didn't even blink. Immediately, all traces of cheer vanished from Gohan's expression before the teenager let out a defeated sigh. "So... what exactly do you want to know first?"

"Your family. Why didn't you tell us about it?" Not even wasting a second, Videl shot her question. "And it better be the truth."

Although knowing what to say, Gohan took a couple of seconds to construct his thoughts before nodding, more to himself than to others. "The first thing that I want you to remember is that I am not very… uh… socially adept person or what they call it… ah yes! introvert."

Not waiting for their reaction, Gohan continued. "Now to the question, I really wanted to tell you but things happened and I… "

 _"What things?"_ Videl sharply interjected, taking a step forward and already adding to her imposing figure.

"Uhh… We… didn't actually became friends till the first day, the next day, the whole cyclone matter happened, and yesterday, I was going to invite you to my place but spent the first half in thinking on how to approach you and when I was ready, Erasa's outburst during lunch killed whatever confidence I had."

Erasa gave a bit sheepish smile, looking anywhere but at him. Gohan's face brightened a bit at the continuous support of the blonde girl. _Thank You, Erasa._ "Then, we met your father and I really couldn't bring myself to tell you and then Tao appeared."

 _What is he saying?_ The whole ordeal with Tao Pai Pai was a valid excuse but the other one wasn't. Gohan and her dad had interacted quite well, even bringing a smile to her face a couple of times. "Now, I know you're lying. Your talk with dad went without a hitch, so there's no way… " She halted when Gohan meekly raised a hand.

"I…" Gohan sighed again, letting out a hiss of air before speaking once more. "I saw both of you were very happy to see each other; you and your dad… but the state he was in… I felt guilty because it was due to Ki users, and my dad and I are one of them… I-I couldn't really help it."

 _Wait! What?_ Videl tried to form a coherent sentence from the clutter of words that Gohan just sprouted. Taking a couple of seconds, she finally jumbled out of the mess. _He thinks dad is in jail because of his family?_

Most of the questions that she had in her mind suddenly seemed unnecessary. _I can't believe it._ _Here I thought he didn't tell me because my father insulted his family and he thinks…_ She shook her head. _I am an idiot and_ , "Gohan," he looked attentively. "You're an idiot." _Too._

"... Huh?"

"Yeah, a certified one."

"No, I think it's quite romantic," Two pairs of eyes turned to her in a 'what the fuck' kinda look. "What? Oh c'mon! Videl is pissed off and Gohan is trying to convince her, and over a misunderstanding too; it's totally romantic."

"Gohan," Videl spoke, rolling her eyes at the blonde girl's absurd but usual antics while effectively ending the raven-haired boy's embarrassment. "Whatever happened is _my_ dad's doing; just don't think about it again, _ever._ Understand?"

The tone of her voice leaving no qualms, Gohan nodded quickly though knowing what Videl spoke was right. However, seeing the way both her and her father had interacted – the longing and other obvious emotions – he just couldn't help it.

"Okay, we understand about this," Sharpner trying to be as imposing as Videl was, crossed his arms while tilting his head high. "But, what about 'I don't know martial arts'?"

"I never said I don't know martial arts… Wait!" Gohan blurted out as Videl and Sharpner looked ready to blow up. "I said I don't like fighting or hurting people and that is the truth."

"But you're like the legacy of one of the most prominent families when it comes to martial arts; what you're saying doesn't really make sense to me… I'm not saying you're lying either but… " Erasa trailed off, her face morphed into that of a frown.

"Yeah, mountain boy, If you don't like fighting then how do you even know martial arts? And how do you even expect to get stronger?"

Videl nodded visibly, completely in accord with the points raised by the blondes. So far, Gohan hadn't lied; the words and emotions in between making it blatant. However, there were too many dead ends.

"I know what you mean Erasa," Gohan replied looking directly at her. "But it's just the way I am. I just don't take martial arts with a passion; there are many other activities for that like drawing, exploring nature and many more."

Shrugging with a small smile, he shifted his vision to Sharpner. "Not only have I grown seeing my father and his friends spar but also participated in them; all the katas and sequences are imprinted into my mind. I have a mentor too."

"Regarding strength, while it's true that martial arts make you stronger but real or rather hidden strength comes from a need not a desire. For me, it's my family and friends," Gohan contemplated for a second before looking at Videl. "I am sure you can relate."

Having listened to the conversation among the trio, Videl blinked when suddenly addressed. _Relate?_ A contemplative expression dawned on her visage but lasting only for a second. _Yeah, I can._

Jumping into fires, over buildings from her copter, dodging bullets; a lot of other memories of her ventures in the city flashing in her mind, she realized what was common in all this or rather what Gohan was implying. _The people of the city; They're my motivation for strength._

"Still, training with the same persons, again and again, becomes passive over time. Unless you seek stronger opponents, you won't know your limits let alone surpass them." Videl pointed out, having experienced the same thing herself.

 _You don't even know the half of it._ Gohan felt a bit put off at keeping the better part of the truth to himself but shook away the thought, knowing very well that this wasn't the time. _Glad I talked with Bulma._ "You're right. In fact, most of the time it's only my mentor; family and friends join occasionally."

He slightly chuckled seeing their expressions. "My mentor and I work on the weaker areas while rehearsing the stronger ones. When I'm not with him, I do image training. This compensates for the need of stronger opponents."

"Image training? Don't tell me you make paintings of yourself doing martial arts," Sharpner interjected loudly, raising an eyebrow in mock-disbelief.

"No. There's more to that Sharpner," Videl noted, her eyes still fixated upon the son of Goku. "I recall reading about it in one of the books in the crane school. It's like a virtual… representation of you and your opponent in your mindscape or something like that, right?" The blue-eyed girl looked at Gohan for confirmation.

Composing his humour at the blonde male's absurd comment, Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Basically, you imagine your opponent and fight with him in your mind provided you are able to recall their movements. It's a good technique; almost all martial arts masters use it. "

"Then, how come we don't know about it?"

"Your training has just begun, Sharpner," Gohan replied calmly. "You have a long road ahead. Ki is very diverse and for its full usage, both mind and body needs training which takes years. Even before you began working on this technique, you need to calm your mind. I believe you know about meditation."

Sharpner and Videl nodded, the blue-eyed girl's face shining with determination. _This technique is handy but there isn't much info in the library and with Gohan busy all the time, I guess I can only ask Tien._

"Alright, enough of martial arts," Erasa not able to take it anymore, loudly exclaimed. "I am also here, ya know."

Gohan sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while Videl shook her head and Sharpner rolled his eyes. "So, about that rented house and Capsule Corp apprenticeship… " The buxom blonde trailed off, shooting Gohan a meaningful look.

"Ah… about that, I am sorry. The rented house thing was my cover-up for the distance," Gohan again chuckled awkwardly seeing the 'I knew it' look that appeared on the trio's faces. "And about Capsule Corp…"

"Yeah! What about that? Huh, _Huh?"_ Erasa butted in, wearing an expression closer to a kid eagerly rushing for candy more than anything else.

"... Uhh…"

"I won't squeal, Gohan. I promise," Corroborating her words, she tightly clamped her lips while giving a sharp nod.

 _I guess it's safe to go ahead and tell them now._ Though still unsure, Gohan accepted her words, not noticing the deadpan expressions on the faces of the remaining duo. "The apprenticeship was there but only because of me. Bulma does everything really big but I've gotten used to that considering she's also… my godmother."

Erasa squealed.

 _LOUD._

-oooooo-

"Ah! It's really good," Erasa sighed contentedly, her feet submerged in water, one hand on the ground supporting her figure and other raking through hair, the cool and gentle breeze tickling the scalp.

Totally agreeing with Erasa, Videl looked around the place where Gohan just brought them. To the east were mountains acting as a gateway for a river filled with fresh and clear water into which they had their feet submerged. The banks of the river were filled by trees of all types from which birds could be heard chirping.

A gentle moistured breeze was flowing carrying the scent of the soil and trees in it. Enjoying the scenery for a couple of seconds, Videl looked towards her left where Gohan and Sharpner were chatting and laughing. _He's… really something._

Now able to think more rationally, her mind clear from any doubts and question, she realized Gohan was not only a selfless and kind-hearted person but good looking too.

She knew that he had a good physique from their brief spar at school but seeing for real the well-defined muscles was quite astonishing. _As if somebody sculpted them._

 _The girl in his life would be the luckiest._ Though, she shrugged away the thoughts, knowing it was the raven-haired boy's personal life. _I guess it's the moment._ "Gohan," the raven-haired boy cut off his talk and turned his head to look at her.

"There's something I need to say," Gohan nodded curiously. "I… want to apologise for yesterday; I shouldn't have reacted that way." A guilty expression marred her face as she finished.

Gohan smiled. "No worries. Besides, I should've told you earlier. Though, I will be lying if I said that I wasn't surprised by your reaction." Gohan immediately waved his hands placidly when the blue-eyed girl's face morphed into that of despair.

"Wait! I mean you just… left; that surprised me," Videl's face shifted into that of mild curiosity. "The Videl we all know would have, you know, asked everything then and there… " Gohan trailed off.

 _Oh…_ Videl sighed deeply "I understand but… learning that my entire life is based on lies and the one to lie… is the person I trusted and loved the most in the world wasn't easy. For the last six months, I've borne the distrust… the anger of the masses. I began to believe that it'll my fate for the rest of life."

"Then suddenly, out of nowhere, you came in, all supportive of not only me but my father also; it surprised me but, at the same time, I felt honored that a person like you is my friend… I started feeling hopeful again."

She sighed again. "However, yesterday… trust and hope became mere words with no meaning. I just couldn't take it anymore and had to leave…"

She had to put up a brave upfront because it gave hope and comfort to her father and friends while deterring the criminals. However, inside she was a whirlwind of emotions; they were not stable and Gohan's actions only made it visible.

Nothing mattered yesterday, nothing made sense; she just couldn't stay there anymore. It didn't matter if she had overreacted; nobody could blame her, she was also a human in the end.

Gohan cringed visibly, not knowing that it would be this bad. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Stop!" The blue-eyed girl cut in loudly. "Why are you apologising? It should be me. Moreover, I realized later that I was a bit melodramatic," She suddenly chuckled. "Heck, I even forgot about Tao."

"Yeah. I had to remind her that we left that robo-geezer in the middle of the forest," Gohan laughed at Erasa's title for Tao.

"It was only then, I called the authorities and informed them."

Gohan chuckled but no later, began rubbing the back of his head. "I can relate. I also forgot about him and left. It was only mid-flight that I remembered before flying back but the cops were there by then."

"Don't worry, the bastard is now rotting in the same jail," Sharpner supplied. "Last we heard, they're using some kind of device to disrupt his Ki or something like that."

"Anyway, Gohan," The raven-haired boy looked towards her while Videl cleared her throat. "Can you tell us about your dad? What was he like?" The way Tao's face had paled upon hearing Son Goku's name had raised her curiosity.

Gohan didn't even blink. "Dad was a carefree person, kind-hearted and always there for me; teaching me every little thing whether it was forest exploration, hunting, martial arts or bailing me out from mom," He chuckled fondly remembering his mom's rigidness about studies and Dad's whisking him away.

A smile forming on her face, Erasa hugged her knees. "And your mom?"

"Mom's… also kind-hearted but strict too. She's a strong-willed lady," Gohan added recalling how she had supported the family despite how hard their life was. "Also, she's a great cook… "

"Amen!" Sharpner solemnly added, Videl and Erasa nodding in unison. Gohan chuckled whole-heartedly. "Right. She's the one in charge of the house. Though, she's a bit spirited about our studies but overall she's the best."

The feminist in her roaring in approval at the fact that Son Chichi was the top dog in the house, Videl nodded. "She must be. Almost all female martial artists look up to her."

"Really?!" Gohan blurted out, genuinely surprised.

"What?" Videl exclaimed in shock, visage confirming the words. "You really don't know?"

Gohan shook his head, the reaction prompting Erasa to stand up. "How is that possible? Your mom is an icon; a perfect combination of beauty and might, and coming from me that's really something."

The blonde girl liked martial arts as much as Piccolo liked laughing, so Gohan could understand what Erasa was implying. "I don't know; to me, she's always been just… mom," Gohan shrugged. "Moreover, she gave up on martial arts a long time ago; now she barely talks about it."

"About that," A frown was present on the blue-eyed girl's face. "Why did she do that? She could've been a great martial artist," Videl voiced, recalling the tapes of the old tournaments, Son Chichi being the only female fighter to reach quarter-finals by cleaning the tough competition before.

 _Come to think of it, mom never talks about it._ Gohan contemplated for some moments. "I guess she just decided to dedicate her time to the family and all that; even I don't know much," he summed up with an apologetic expression.

Videl inclined her head. _I guess interests shift… she must've found solace in her family._ Though disheartened by the answer, she knew she couldn't do anything about it. _What about me? Would it happen…_

"Your Dad," Sharpner suddenly butted in, ending the raven-haired girl's musings. "He's famous too, you at least know that, right?"

"Yeah... "

"Thank Kami," The muscle bound blonde sighed dramatically.

"... but only for six months," Gohan gave a cheeky smile. Three faces morphed into 'What the fuck' kinda look. "You're kidding," A stunned expression appeared on Erasa's face when Gohan shook his head. "How is that even possible? Your dad was famous even when Vi's dad used to speak against Ki-users!"

"Yeah mountain boy, I recall some countryside folks approaching Mr. Satan and urging him not to speak against your dad, so how?"

"Well, just like mom's always been mom to me so's been dad; our's quite ordinary family. In fact, I came to know that my dad was famous while walking in the city; in a couple of showrooms, some action figures were on the display."

"Then, in the school, when all the teachers went crazy asking me again and again if 'I was really the son of ' _The Son Goku'_ ," Gohan shook his head. "I'm sure even dad didn't know anything."

A surprised look appearing on her visage, Videl couldn't help but compare Son Goku with her dad, the way he used to brag, looking down upon others among other things; polar opposite to Son Goku. _The title of legendary fits him perfectly._ "He's really one of a kind… "

"Yeah," Gohan cut in, not even noticing while fondly looking at the skies. "Bulma once said that when with him, you get this weird feeling that everything's gonna be fine even if it were the end of the world," A smile adorned his face as he finished.

 _Such faith…_ While her dad also commanded such praise, it was actually built on fake foundations whereas Bulma's words were the result of knowledge of what Son Goku was really capable of.

"I wish I could meet him… Gohan," Videl called for his attention after a pause, the raven-haired boy bobbing down his head. "If… you don't mind, could you tell me how did he…"

Gohan immediately looked down, a couple of seconds passing away in silence making the blue-eyed girl curse herself for her stupidity. "I'm sorry, Gohan. I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright," Gohan cut in, the blue-eyed girl closing her mouth after a moment. "It's just that… when someone asks me… I," He halted for a moment before shaking his head. "Anyway, It was my fault; I got arrogant and dad had to save me… it cost him his life."

Sharpner and Erasa glanced at each other, the blonde girl having a hand clamped over her mouth while Videl looked distorted. _I'm an idiot._ "I'm sorry… " She again trailed off not wanting to repeat the same thing again.

"It's okay. I've gotten used to it." An eerie silence descended among the group, nobody knowing what to say.

"I got it," Erasa suddenly shouted after a couple of seconds, breaking the silence and ending the somber atmosphere. "Gohan can help us," The raven-haired boy blinked in confusion. "These two," She pointed at Videl and Sharpener."... are always arguing about their schools; sometimes driving me nuts."

The blonde girl shook her head. "But finally, we have someone who can help; please tell us which martial arts school is better?"

A blank look appeared on Gohan's visage. _There's no way I am getting into this._ He was about to decline but stopped when Videl and Sharpner gave him a determined look.

"You promised to tell the truth, remember?" The blue-eyed girl pointed out, seeing the expression on Gohan's face.

Gohan swayed his eyes between Sharpener and Videl for some seconds before sighing. _Guess there's no way out._ "Fine. So, what do you want to know first? About style and school or master?"

Videl and Sharpener glanced at each other, even Erasa looked confused. "There's a difference?" The muscle bound blonde summed up the thoughts of others, the girls nodding in accord.

"There is."

"Style and school is it, then," The blue-eyed girl replied after a moment.

Gohan nodded. "Okay. So, there's a bit of history that'll help you understand better; you okay with that?" Three heads bobbed down in unison. "Now, I don't know if you know it or not but Master Shen and Master Roshi created their martial arts styles around the same time."

"But where Master Shen opened an actual school, Roshi didn't; he just settled on Kame island. As a result, very few knew about Roshi but Crane school was recognised worldwide, receiving works of all kinds… even assasination."

Gohan took a breath. "And, in no time, Crane school was only producing assassins with little to no training, follow so far?" The trio nodded in accord. "Now, as I said, Roshi wasn't well known but enough to warrant the attention of a few like my great grandpa Son Gohan."

"Grandpa learnt and not only mastered the style but took it to greater heights, adding to its finesse. Some decades later, my grandpa Ox learnt under the tutelage of Roshi; though he didn't master it but learnt enough to add the element of weapons; ya know, axe and all."

"Gohan," Erasa interrupted. "We read about your grandpa; he's said to be a bit violent in his days, if it is true, what caused the change?" The Ox kingdom was thriving peacefully, no violent ruler could achieve that.

"The books exaggerate," Gohan replied. "While it's true that he used to wield an axe and all that but only to drive away the poachers; back then it was a huge problem. He settled for a peaceful life when Roshi asked him to, in return for martial arts training."

Satisfied, the bubbly blonde nodded. Taking this as a sign, Gohan decided to continue. "Then came my father and Krillin."

"What I mean is, although the students of Turtle style can be counted on the fingers but each of them added their touch and improved it whereas Crane school produced only half-trained students; there were no masters until Tien." _Never knew, the history lessons with Roshi'll come in handy._

"Ha!" Sharpener immediately shouted, pointing towards Videl. "I said so; Turtle style and Master Krillin are the best."

"I never said anything about Masters, only schools," Gohan noted, halting the blonde's euphoria. Videl who was a bit disheartened immediately sprung back to life. "You mean Tien is… "

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Tien is the better master," Seeing the blonde male about to protest, he raised his hand. "The reason is simple: Tien has always adhered to the goals of improving his skills and becoming stronger; he is one of the sharpest minds. Moreover, he dedicates almost all of his time to martial arts."

"Whereas Krillin is a carefree person; I am not saying he isn't strong but he tends to take martial arts lightly. Then, there is his family; most of his time goes in that," _Glad my Saiyan genes cut the time._ "I guess, that's all."

Erasa glanced at the satisfied faces of Videl and Sharpener and immediately gave a thumbs up to Gohan, quite happy that now she won't have to deal with the tiring arguments. The demi-Saiyan only smiled.

"Mountain boy," Gohan sighed at the name but nodded to the blonde male. "What about your dad? Master Roshi speaks of him in very high regard, crediting him as his best student ever. Where does he stand in all this?"

Videl nodded in accord. "I agree. He's also highly revered in Crane school. Moreover, the only modern era martial artist to receive the title of 'legendary'."

"Hmmm… I really don't know about legendary but he's definitely on another level; it isn't about strength but the way he took martial arts; excited about stronger opponents, always surpassing his limits, pulling out amazing strategies in the middle of the battle… I'll say he was natural in that."

The trio nodded, the urge to meet the legendary fighter stronger than ever but knew they couldn't do anything about it. "And, you?"

"... Me," Gohan surprisingly looked at Videl, the blue-eyed girl nodding. "Yeah. What about your skills?"

-oooooo-

Please support and **REVIEW.**

I apologise for a bit short chapter but there was too much to write. Since I mostly prefer around 5k to 6k words chapter, I decided to make two chapters of the content. Also, I apologise for leaving Tao's issue undecided in the previous chapter, I… uh… forgot. Hehe, sorry.

 **ONE THING I FORGOT IN PREVIOUS RANT :D**

In many fics, I've seen Gohan apologise to Videl because he didn't tell her his secrets. The writers make Gohan a criminal and Videl a messiah of sort. I mean, C'mon! Videl hounds him all the day making him a nervous wreck, doesn't even talk properly to him. Hell, in some fics, she outright slaps him and treats him like a bitch and when he chooses not to tell them, it's his fault.

I know you'll say, I used the same thing but in my defense, Videl believes Gohan as good friend on par with Erasa and Sharpner. She even told him about his crush and if you read the story, you'll understand. Now, about Gohan feeling guilty, I stated that he knows it wasn't his fault but a part of him which we all know comes from Goku, seeks out the good in others. He can't help it.

 **NOW ABOUT DRAGON BALL SUPER:**

I know many hate DBS but I believe it had some good things that make its potential equal to DBZ if not more.

 **Villians/Anti-protagonists**

 **Beerus and Whis:** I believe Beerus is the most badass character; the way he acts and his attitude; it's just super cool and hilarious. Then there is Whis, a calm looking angel whose potential is barely scratched despite the 130 episodes we got.

 **Frieza** : Frieza lived upto the hype in DBZ but a question was there if he actually trained what kind of prowess would he achieve? I know it wasn't officially stated in DBZ but the fandom had the question which was answered in DBS. We got a Frieza who could rival Gods after only four months of training.

 **Zamasu/ Goku Black:** Many verses have done the evil-protagonist arcs but I believe Goku black was unique. Use of a Kai, dragon balls, time lines, it all worked greatly.

 **SSG Goku** : Goku rising to the realm of Gods was also a refreshing concept. Moreover, Goku with red hair was wildly thrown around in the fandom.


End file.
